Infinite Loop
by Sanbika1397
Summary: Tonya and Mei are two teenage girls living in Queens, NY. When they decide to skip school one day, they are poisoned and confronted by a shadow figure with no face. They both pass out, only to wake up in the Naruto Shippuden world. Why and how were they sent there? Who is the shadow figure that only shows itself to Tonya? Gaara/oc/Naruto oc/Kakashi
1. Chapter 1: Oatmeal Cream Pies

**Infinite Loop**

**Chapter One: Oatmeal Cream Pies**

-thoughts-  
Bold: sound effects  


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only my ocs Tnya, Mei, and Rekka.  
_

(3rd person) Tonya

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE- CRASH!  
**The ringing of the alarm clock was promptly interrupted by Tonya's early morning wrath. Grabbing the her iHome from the side and ripping with the wires attached,  
she threw it to the wall opposite her bed.

" !$&$ $/"(&€£}#¥!" she yelled, incomprehensible. The yelling ceased when she found comfort in her sheets once more. Of course, the peace was interrupted as soon as her father slammed open the door. Tonya automatically shot up from her laying position. It was a habit of hers to wake up when someone entered the room.

"TONYA MICHAEL WINSTON DAIZE! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT NOISE?!" Her father, Robert Micheal Daize, was panting slightly out of rage. He then noticed the new hole in the wall where the alarm clock had once been. "Tonyaaaa..." he started, bringing his index fingers to his now throbbing temples.

". . ." Tonya sat patiently, not wanting to argue in the morning. They were already horrible enough. -What is today, anyway. . . ?- She glanced up at the calendar that sat on her bedside table. Still tuning out her father's rant, she made plans for later today.

-Yeeessss, plaaaannsss. Mohohoho!- She thought while smiling and rubbing her hands together. Stopping her actions, she looked up only to discover her father looking at her with a "Really?" look on his face. Sighing in defeat, he simply says that he's going to work.

When the door closes, she lays back down. -Okay,- she thinks, rubbing her tanned arms, - today is Friday, which means that Sociology project is due.- turning over to her right side, she continues. - Judging by my current condition and the fact that project is not yet done. . .- she suddenly grins, her white teeth half showing. -I'm skipping school tttttooooodddddaaayyy! - Sitting up again, she gets up very slowly and grabs her phone off her wood bookcase that her dad made for her birthday. She had also received the cell phone for her birthday. Hitting the lock button on the side of the cell, she puts in her pin number and goes to her contact list. "Marcus... Max... Maybell... Meadow..." she furrowed her brows as she scrolled, flicking her thumb on the screen. She smiled widely when she found who she was looking for. "Mei! There she is." She selected 'Send Message' from the drop down menu and sent a quick text.

_Tonya_

__  
MEEEIIIII BBBEEEEAAARRRR! XD mornin! Hey, today you wanna skip? Let's just sleep for a while, then hang out before the new episode of naruto shippuden comes out. That ok wit u?

_Sent: 5:35 AM_

Already knowing that it will take a while for her to reply back, she sighed in impatience. Walking in small circles in her room, she stopped and examined herself in the mirror.

She stared into her hazel eyes framed beautifully by her long, natural lashes. Her eyes swept over her face, studying her full lips and slightly crooked nose that she hated. Whenever she smiled, it would lean even more to the left, which made her crooked smile look even more crooked. Her skin was beige with a few freckles scattered across her face, the most prominent on on the right side of her face near her jawbone. Looking at the top of her head, she just now noticed that her navy blue silk sleeping cap was falling off. She took it off, gently shaking her head to let her pitch black hair fall into place. Her hair was slightly wavy, giving it a natural tousled look that reached a little past her breasts. Looking down, she inspected the rest of her body. Her full hourglass body was covered only by a pair of short shorts and a loose crop top. She always wore little when she slept. Her upper arms were also a little bit plump (and squishy). She would always do exercises to slim them down, but it never worked. Her body directly represented her personality, which was very mature despite her age (15 years). Although she was slim but curvy, she was also very strong. She studied martial arts mostly, her favorites Russian Combat Sambo and Judo. Even though she wasn't the best at them, she was still pretty good. Next, she moved on to her two belly button piercings checking to see if they were swollen, because they were very sore. Lifting her hair to inspect her other piercings, she counted the holes to see if any had closed. -1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... 7!- She smiled to herself, happy to know that she wouldn't have to re-pierce her ears. Again. It's happened to two of her piercings already, and one of her belly button piercings had gotten infected.

Sighing in frustration at the memories, she then felt a vibration in her hand where her cell was. She promptly unlocked the phone and read the message with a slight smirk on her face.

_Mei_

__  
MMOOORRNNNIINNNNN SONNY! ;P I guess sayin that's pointless tho. Lol. But yeah, let's just skip. I REALLY don't feel like goin to school. Sounds like a plan. C u soon Toni *mwah* :)

_Received: 5:42 AM_

__  
She really loved Mei's silliness, it balanced her out. Tonya kept her in check, and Mei kept Tonya's mood somewhat light. It's always been like that, even when they were younger. Chuckling to herself, she slid her sleeping cap back on and quietly sneaked back into bed and cranked the fan, keeping it nice and cold.

======================

(3rd Person) Mei

After reading the last text Tonya sent her, she smiled her signature toothy grin. Throwing her head back and laughing loudly, she tossed her phone on the floor (along with most of the stuff she owned, mostly manga and anime DVD's). She then sat on her bed and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Getting restless, she jumped off of the bed to get dressed. She was always hyper, even when she woke up. This always annoyed Tonya TREMENDOUSLY, which Mei loved. Tonya was DEFINITELY NOT a morning person. Thinking for a small amount of time, (she hated thinking too much, she said it made the blood vessels in her eyes pop) she decided she would go for a run around the block for her morning exercise. Loving the thought of her getting ahead of Tonya in their daily exercises, she changed out of her sleeping sweats into her workout sweats. Mei was in various sports, including basketball, tennis, and boxing. Oddly enough, even though she was very althletic, she was very petite for a 17 year old, standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, which was one inch shorter than Tonya. She also had more developed muscles than Tonya. Throwing one of her favorite outfits on, she ran out the door and locked it. Her cousin was still asleep, so there was no reason to say goodbye to anyone.

Her milk chocolate skin was practically glowing in the morning sun as she ran to her starting point. Mei's full name was Mei Hayato, even though she was African American. Her family's name was changed as soon as they got to America. Her parents disappeared and left Mei with their family friends, the Hayatos, and changed her first name. Mei's background was surrounded in mystery, but all she tells people is how she first got to America at age 4. She tells nobody where she came from except for Tonya, because they share similar backgrounds; Tonya came from Trinidad at age 3, and Mei had already been in Queens a year. They currently both lived in Queens, and lived about five blocks from each other.

Usually, people don't like Mei because of her overly-aggressive and competitive attitude. She competes at almost everything with anybody, constantly getting into fights because of it. The bad part about it is that she didn't always win, which sometimes ended her up in extremely dangerous situations. One time in particular, a girl who she always argued with brought her boyfriend with her. After the boyfriend and Mei got into an altercation, he got so pissed off (Mei was winning, his pride was hurt) that he pulled out a knife. She tried to run, but he easily caught her. She was stabbed 7 times before he was pulled off of her and the ambulance was called. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon as well as attempted murder. He got 35 years with a $50,000 bail. Since then, she has recovered from the incident but still has 4 out of the 7 scars remaining.

About to cross the street, her icy blue eyes darted left, right, and then left again before she finally crossed the street. Her skin and eye color combination was highly uncommon because it was natural, but with her hair color was not. She constantly dyes her hair an ashy lavendar, with no highlights or lowlights. It reached to her waist, and constantly had it in a pony tail or a braid. Her natural hair was a "boring" brown, which she hated. She had soft, dainty featured which contradicted her personality. She always had two ball studded earrings, one in each each ear. She also had her tongue pierced right in the center.

Arriving at her destination, she smiled and began her 4 mile morning run.

=======================

(Tonya POV)

I woke up to the sun shining in my face and the birds chirping, something that anyone would love to hear once they woke up.

Except for me.

Swearing profusely, I slowly got out of bed once more and did my stretching routine. Taking off my cap and putting it on my pillow, I trudged toward the bookcase where I put my phone. Unlocking it, I saw a message from Mei.

_Mei_

__  
You up yet sonny boy? LOL even if ur not, I bet you will be soon. You always wake up around 2 PM you lazy ass. Anyway, meet me in front of the park we usually go to so we can grab some lunch. C U LAATEEERRR TONI! :D and DON'T BE LATE.

_Recieved: 8:01 AM_

__Slowly lifting my eyes to the clock on my wall (my dad put it up high so I wouldn't be able somehow reach up and smash that one too. What? I just have something against clocks.) I saw that it was 1:24.

SHIT.

The park was about 10 minutes away, and it usually takes me 40 min to get ready. Ruffling my hair in frustration, I took the fastest shower I have ever taken in my life. Quickly drying myself off and doing my bare essentials hair and makeup wise, I quickly put on my casual clothes. Raiding my closet, I got out a pair of ripped black skinny jeans with a white stripe down both sides, a white cami that stopped just above my belly button (showing off my piercings), my favorite doc martens which were a royal blue, and a slightly baggy black hoodie that I wore open. I put in ALL my earrings one at a time, and let my hair down from its bun. Falling in it's familiar loose, layered waves, I glanced in the mirror one last time before I ran out the door with my trusty denim backpack.

Slightly out of breath, I ran to the front of the block only to be met by Mei. She was tapping her foot like she was upset, but I knew she was just playing. She suddenly glomped me, but didn't manage to knock me over. She looked up at me with a pout on her face.

"Tttoooonnniii! Why do you never fall when I jump on you?! It's getting frustrating!" She stepped back with her arms crossed across her chest. She was wearing ANOTHER pair of sweats, but this one was her favorite. She wore a long sleeved black v-neck tee with matching baggy Capri sweats. She wore a black track jacket with red stripes down the sleeves, with white low-top converse. Surprisingly, she had her long violet hair down, spilling over her shoulders and down her back.

-Aww! She looks so cute!- I smiled, ruffling her hair. Of course, she got mad at me and tried to break one of my fingers. Ouch.

Soon, we decided upon a place to eat (finally) and settled down in a seat. It was our favorite ramen place in state that we know of, and the owners knew us very well. We don't even have to order, it just gets placed in front of us when it's ready. After about 2 hours of just talking and eating, we paid them and shortly left. Walking around the park, we just took in all of the scenery in silence; until something caught Mei's eye.

"Omigosh Toni look!" Mei shouted, pointing at a random white box that was on a bench nearby. She ran over to it, excited to see what it was. Slowly, she raised her eyes to mine, eyes sparkling. Before I could say anything, she held the box shouting, "OATMEAL CREAM PIES URMAGURD!" Stunned, I looked at what she had in her hands. Immediately my mouth dropped and started to water.

"But.. Can we just take it? Is it even safe to eat those?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

She looked at me like I just asked if Naruto wanted to become the Hokage. "Are you seriously thinking about that right now?" she picked at the seal of the box, examining it. "See? Safe. It's still sealed and all." She immediately opened the box, getting one for herself and tossing one at me. I caught it, still second-guessing myself.

"I still dunno, Mimi. . ." I said, trailing off. I was on high alert, looking around me waiting for a pedophile or pedobear to come bursting out of some bushes any minute now. Something just didn't sit right.

Mei sighed, sitting down on the bench and setting the box to the side. Looking at Tonya expectantly, she patted the space next to her while opening the package. "Sit."

I sighed in defeat before sitting down next to her. Opening my package slowly, I glanced over at her, only to find her chewing happily on her giant bite of cream pie. Shrugging my shoulders, I took a bite and let the sweetness take over me. I've always had a soft spot for sweets. The bliss was cut short when I heard a thump next to me. Whirling in the direction Mei was in, I found the Older girl out cold. Shaking her, there was no response.

Still searching with my eyes, I finally noticed that there were no longer people around. Looking up, I saw no more birds. Hell, there weren't even any bugs. Seeing a figure far off near the center of the park I instantly froze. My head throbbed and I instantly dropped my knees to the ground. I was now panting heavily, vision slightly blurring. Limping to where the figure was previously, I looked once more. Now clutching my heart, I turned in a slow circle until I saw the shadow in the treeline. It was at least seven feet tall, with a hunched back. It had no face, no legs, and basically no human features. It was just a blob of darkness, hunched over with its clawed hands hanging limply by its sides. Pausing, I look it where its eyes should be. Still panting and still staring, I just wait. The shadow figure suddenly raises one of its hands, and suddenly I hear bells. Weakly, I turn around to look at Mei.

The last thing I remember before blacking out was Mei's crumpled body and the sound of bells ringing.


	2. Chapter 2: Unknown Territory

Chapter Two: Unknown Territory

(Mei POV)

Slowly, I opened my eyes and then quickly closed them because it was too bright. My eyes soon adjusted to the sun, and slowly I sat up. Looking around while rubbing my left eye, I noticed it was not the same place where we' were previously. -Did I fall asleep somehow? I don't remember a damn thing. . .- Then it hit me.

Where was Tonya?

Surveying from the ground, I saw a lump sticking out from some bushes nearby. I slowly crawled towards it, to see if it was my best friend. Moving some small branches out of the way, I realized it WAS Tonya. She had a scratch that ran up her left cheek that I assumed was from the bush, which had thorns on it. "C'mon Toni. Wakey wakey." I slapped her face, trying to wake her up. Seeing that it did not work, I sighed and took her backpack off of her.

She really loved that backpack. She has had that blue thing since she was 12, and carries it with her EVERYWHERE. The whole thing was denim, with different shades of patches. It had black reinforced staps, which was needed because she carried lots of unnecessary things. An extra sweater, floss, and sunglasses were included in the black hole called her backpack.

Laughing to myself (I make myself laugh a lot), I threw Tonya over my shoulders like a potato sack. Dragging her backpack as well, I put her in a nearby clearing under some oak trees to cool her down. Using the backpack as a pillow, I laid her down to get her comfortable. Standing back to observe my work, I sighed. For now, I was on my own and I needed to get some food at least. Walking into the forest, I looked back over my shoulder one last time at Tonya, then began my mission.

(Tonya POV)

My senses coming back to me, I began to hear birds chirping and the feeling of wind on my skin. I looked up, only to see the leaves of trees. Turning, I realized my head was on my backpack and I was alone. No Mei. -I didn't faint in this position. . .- I brought my thumb and forefinger to my chin, a habit of mine when I think.

"!" I sat up quickly, the fact that Mei was not there finally sinking in. Looking around once more, I scanned the area.

No one.

Sighing in frustration, I around to get my bearings and get calm. Waiting for a short while, I then promptly put on my backpack and begin to walk.

". . . -ya!"

I pause mid-stride, shocked. Straining my ears, I try to hear who is talking while picking up a stick in case it's that random shadow thing. Suddenly, a small figure bursts out of the bushes to my left. Swinging my stick as hard as I can, I hit it dead on. It flew over the bushes and rolled on the ground 20 feet away. The figure then stood up, clutching its forehead.

"DAMMIT TONYA! THAT HURT LIKE A BITCH!"

My eyes widened, suddenly figuring who it was.

(3rd POV)

Mei rubbed her forehead where a knot was forming. Glaring at her best friend who just woke up, she pouted. "Really, Toni?"

"I didn't know it was you bro!" Tonya covered her mouth with her hands, shocked not only that she had hit her friend (really fucking hard), but the fact that it didn't knock her out. She knew about her friend's hard head, but DAMN. Really? "Was It you who moved me?"

Mei snorted. "What do you think dude? I found you out cold." she paused, suddenly turning serious. "But seriously, what happened? All I remember is chewing those-" she drooled thinking about it. "Those wonderful pies of joy."

Tonya, looking at her feet and rubbing her arm, replied in a firm but soft voice. "It's really difficult to explain everything man. All I'm gunna tell you now is that something was in those pies we ate." She looked up with an all but playful glare at Mei, who flinched; startled. Her face softened once she saw her best friend's reaction. "My bad. I'm just upset that I don't have control over the situation like I should be . . . Let's just get some food and set up camp. This looks like a good spot to rest for now." Tonya suddenly walked off into the woods, leaving Mei with a sad smile.

"BRING ME BACK SOMETHING TASTY SON!" Tonya froze again, surprised at the sudden outburst. Looking back at her friend, she saw that Mei was smiling with pretty much all her teeth showing. Smiling in response, she continued her search in the forest.

"Sure thing."

(Tonya POV)

About 10 minutes in the woods just searching, my patience was dwindling. Fast. Kicking a rock in frustration, I continued my "adventure" in the forest. Focused on my feet for a few couple of minutes, I saw something in my side vision. Looking to the side with a bored expression on my face, my eyes flung open because of what I saw. I grit my teeth and put my hands into a fighting position. "Che."

There IT was, in all its glory. The thing that most likely sent both of us here. "Hey! WHO the fuck are you? WHAT the fuck are you?" I paused, waiting for an answer or at least some sort of reaction. The shadow made a movement like it was chuckling, but it made no sound whatsoever.

My head suddenly flew upward, hearing the very, very faint sound of bells. My guard down temporarily, I saw the objects being thrown at my face too late. Both objects collided with the left cheek of my face where my scratch was, causing me to yell out in pain.

" $&+!" I rubbed my cheek in pain and looked down to the dreadful things that assaulted my face! ". . . Oh my Janshin." The absolutely GORGEOUS objects laying near my feet brought me to tears. Some of my most favorite things in the whole world.

Semi-automatic handguns. They almost brought me to tears, they were so beautiful. Snapping out of my euphoria, I looked up to find that the figure was gone. Scratching my head in confusion, I looked down again.

"Aaahhhhhhhhh..." I sighed in awe of the beauty of them. Slick and black, the pair of semi-automatic m1191's caught the light just right. Bending over to touch the absolutely BEAUTIFUL pieces of art on the ground, i got zapped. "Ow! The fuc-" looking down at my palm where I touched it, I noticed something... New. There was a small black lightning bolt in my palm. Gasping and looking down to where they should be, something was off.

They vanished.

Grabbing my other palm immediately, I saw the same mark identical to the other mark. Perplexed and just staring off into space, I began to think once more. -Okay, calm down. There is most likely a reason for this.- My thoughts were soon interrupted when a specific group of words popped into my mind. -Sō Kaminari no Kahen? Twin lighting shards? What the?- A lightbulb suddenly went of in my head. -I dunno whether this will work, but I hafta give it a shot. Who knows, I might lean something new.- Concentrating and hesitating slightly, I said the words that appeared in my head. "Sō Kaminari no Kahen." Then...!

Nothing.

Deflated, I stared at my palms again once more and gasped. They were pulsating with a blue-ish color, something that I 100- no, 1000% did not expect. As I drew my hands closer to one other, sparks began to fly between them. Still amazed, I pushed them so they were touching. Nothing. Again. "RRRGGHHH YOU STUPID-" I began to yell, totally frustrated. But, when I pulled my hands apart to rant, I felt a current pass through my body. All the energy then went to my fingertips, where the semi-autos materialized once more. The only difference was I could tell they were mine, or almost even... a part of me.

I started to run toward the place where Mei was, when the guns dematerialized. I assumed they were back in my hands. I just had to tell Mei about this. Immediately.

(Mei POV)

When Tonya left, my smile soon deflated. I could tell she was totally stressed by our situation, because she wasn't "in control" of it. She always had a thing about new places, she never felt comfortable. Walking the opposite direction Tonya went in, I hummed a little to lighten my mood. Waking past the same bushes where I was practically ASSAULTED (Tonya's gunna hear about that for a while), I heard a rustling. Stopping and retracing some of my tracks backwards, I tried to figure out what it was.

Oh, shit.

A large black figure was crouched behind the bushes, softly growling. "LE GASP!" I jumped back, trying to imitate Tonya by getting into a funny looking martial art stance, One of my legs awesomely (and awkwardly) in the air. "Come out now, or I won't go easy on you!"

. . . Silence.

"Alright then! PREPARE TO DDIIIEEE!" I run toward the bushes where I saw the movement from, keeping low to the ground. Pouncing at it, I get good height in the air (If I do say so myself).

"HHHIIISSSS!" the creature near the bushes darts swiftly away, making me fall.

"Ack!" falling flat on my face. Rubbing my now throbbing face, I perk up immediately. The creature was MUCH larger than I thought. On all fours, the creature easily surpassed me height-wise, standing about 6 feet tall. (she couldn't see the top of its head because it was too tall)

"EEEHHHH?!" I said to myself, grabbing my hair in frustration "How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?! Toonniii where are you when I need yoooouuu?!"

(3rd POV)

As Tonya came out barreling through the underbrush, she heard Mei's plead for help. Not thinking any more, she immediately runs next to Mei to help. Finally noticing why she was yelling, she deadpans. -The fuck. . .?- the "creature" was actually a black cat. A HUMONGOUS black cat. Looking from the feet up, the two girls noticed the cat's bright red nails. The rest of the body was a plush black fur, darker than Tonya's hair. As their gaze lifted to the beast's eyes, they couldn't help to shiver. The pupils and iris were both a pitch black, but the pupils had a red ring around them.

After sharing a simultaneous gulp, their minds were reeling. How were they going to get out of this one? Why the hell does a creature like this even exist? Where WERE they? Before they had a chance to turn and run, the giant cat slowly approached them. Frozen in place by its eyes, they were now super close to it; their hair was being blown by its breath. Suddenly, it made a move towards Mei. Seeing this as a chance to take action, Tonya made a move to whip out her guns, but was stopped by the cat's actions. The cat was NUZZLING Mei's face. Mei's face changed from fear to happiness as she petted and scratched the cat's face.

"Uh, Mei?" Mei looked to the aide where Tonya was. "What just happened?"

"Uhhh... I dunno!" Mei replied happily. "But can we keep him? Ppllleeeeaaasseeee?"

Tonya sweatdropped, and brought her thumb to her chin while she thought. "But Mei, we don't even know where this thing came from..." she trailed off while softly mumbling to herself.

Mei sighed while letting go of the giant animal. "But he likes me! He even said that I'm his chosen master."

Tonya immediately snapped out of her daze. "He TOLD you? What?"

"Yeah, he did. I think we can somehow communicate. He even told me his name. It's Rekka." Mei thought for a minute. "My Japanese is rusty, but doesn't that mean, uh... Raging...Fire? Right?"She bounced up and down excitedly.

"Yes, Mei, it does. That doesn't hide the fact that you can TALK to a freaking monster cat." Eventually, she gave up trying to reason with Mei. The puppy dog look she was getting from both Mei AND the cat made it really difficult. Sighing, she finally accepted which resulted in a glomp from Mei and Rekka.

At the same time.

The two, now three, companions were so caught up in their momentary happiness that they did not notice the 4-man group that landed in the clearing. When Mei and Rekka got off of Tonya, both girls froze.

-Oh hell no. . .-


	3. Chapter 3: Brand New Lives

'English' : when main Lang is Japanese

(3rd POV)

The two girls and Rekka stared at the four figures; Mei and Tonya almost fainted. 'T-Toni?' Mei slowly turned towards her friend, trying to make sense of the situation. 'Are you seeing what I'm seeing?' she turned back, staring at their faces.

The four figures shifted uncomfortably under the attention they were getting, and were confused by the language they were speaking. "Yah Kakashi-sensei!" the spiky haired blonde turned to face the man he was speaking to. "What are they saying?!" He had a really confused expression on his face, which was really funny. Mei and Tonya giggled, which made the group stare at them again. Next, a VERY pale, black haired man spoke up.

"Why are these women laughing? I don't understand. . . I need to read more. . ." he talked more to himself, rather than to anyone in particular. Everyone else sweatdropped.

Talking somewhat privately, Mei and Tobya promptly sat down on the grass and started to piece together what was happening. Crossing her arms, Tonya began. 'Now. Let's review. One, WE ARE IN FUCKING NARUTO SHIPPUDEN. Two, we can understand what they are saying (which is totally fucking mind blowing) but they can't understand us. Three, WE ARE IN NARUTO SHIPPUDEN. Four, I'm guessing we are in, or near, Konoha. Finally, number five, WE ARE IN FUCKING NARUTO FUCKING SHIPPUDEN!' Every time she said 'Naruto Shippuden, she flailed her arms for emphasis. Mei, nodding profusely in agreement whenever Tonya finished a point, stopped and thought after she had finished.

'Hey Tonya.' Mei began, squeezing her forehead for her "brainpower" to come out, 'Do you think. . .'

'Think what? Did you figure something out?' Tonya leaned in, curious of what her answer will be.

'Do you think it has to do something with those cream pies?!' Mei practically shouted the question, startling Team 7. Tonya facepalmed, sorry that she had even taken her seriously. Tonya hit her where she did previously, this time on purpose. Sniffling, Mei went to her emo corner before remembering she was in the naruto world. She leapt back up, only to be hit by Tonya again. She went back to her emo corner.

Cleaning her throat, getting Everyone's attention, Tonya began to speak. 'Uh... we... er...' she stopped, noticing they still couldn't understand her. Concentrating, she started again. "Um... Hello there?"

Naruto and Sakura gasped, Kakashi's eyes (well, more like eye) opened, and Sai... he just pretty much stayed the same. Sakura was the one to speak first after the awkward murmurings that followed. "You can speak our language?" She raised an eyebrow, not completely trusting the strangers in front of her. "Who are you guys? Where are you from?" All four ninjas looked at them expectantly.

"We're from another- mmph!" Mei started to answer, but was stopped by Tonya's hand. Glaring but complying, Mei quieted down. They both noticed the wary looks they were given (except from Naruto, he was smiling. Confused, but smiling.) Giving each other a quick glance, Tonya began to explain.

"My sister and I are both from a rogue ninja family, and lived somewhere between Konoha and Suna. Our parents both perished by a rival family that they had problems with for a while now, letting us escape with our cat," she pointed to Rekka, "and a few extra provisions. We are not formally trained to be a ninja, but we know a little, at least. Oh, and in advance, we apologize for trespassing if we are on Konoha's territory." She ended with a deep bow, dragging her "sister's" head down with her. Even Rekka did a somewhat bow. "Oh, and my name is Toni, and this is Mei." She then pointed behind her. "That, over there, is Rekka." Rekka meowed in greeting, and Tonya ended the explanation with a slight crooked smile and bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Naruto smiled even wider (if that's even possible) at the girl, with a slight blush on his face. That did not go unnoticed by Tonya.

Naruto was the first one to speak up. "So what do we do with them, Kakashi-sensei?" Tonya let out a high-pitched 'eeeppppppuurrgghuuu' sound, fangirling at just the sound of his voice. Thankfully, only Mei noticed. Mei just laughed silently and looked on lovingly at Kakashi.

"Well, I suppose I'll bring them to Lady Tsunade." Kakashi shrugged, thinking it was the best thing to do. He would soon be proven wrong. Very wrong. "By the way, my name is Hatake Kakashi. Nice to meet you too." Kakashi ended his introduction and looked to Naruto. "You next. Be nice."

"I know sensei!" Naruto glared at him for a second before turning back to them with a grin on his face. "I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO AND I'M GOING TO BECOME THE HOKAGE SOMEDAY! NICE TO MEET YA!" He finished with his hands behind his head, standing proudly in his bright (and slightly obnoxious) orange outfit.

Sakura bowed before speaking. "My name is Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you Mei-san, Toni-san." She turned her head towards each girl as she said their names.

Sai spoke clearly and to the point. "My name is Sai. Very nice to meet you." He then smiled with his eyes closed.

Mei and Tonya both looked at each other with a large smile on their faces, then spazzed. Fangirl screaming really loudly, they hugged each other and jumped. Finishing, they turned to the group, still smiling. Jogging up to them, Tonya walked between Naruto and Sakura, making small talk. Mei ran up between Kakashi and Sai and grabbed both of their hands, swinging them as they walked. Sai snatched his hand away once he looked down at her, making her pout. Looking to her other hand, she saw that her contact was still there with Kakashi. He wasn't holding her hand back, but he wasn't denying the contact. Blushing slightly, she walked hand in hand with him. Rekka ran up from the back, following the two girls whose journey had just officially begun.


	4. Chapter 4: The Truth

'English'  
"Japanese"  
-thoughts-  
(Tonya POV)

We walked for a good two meters when the four ninjas decided to take to the trees. When Kakashi suddenly jumped, he shook off Mei's hand which landed her on her face. Hard. At first I just giggled, but then it turned into full on hysteria. I dropped onto my knees, but soon I was on the ground rolling and crying. In my hysterics, Mei had gotten up (she stayed down for a while; I guess she tried to wait out the pain) and started yelling at me. All this chaos went on until Kakashi cleared his throat. "Ahem."

We both paused and looked at him. "What?" Surprised that we said the same thing, we looked at each other and smiled before looking back at Kakashi in question. "What is it Kakashi-sensei?" I asked again since he wasn't talking.

"What are you guys doing? Don't you guys know how to travel?" Completely joking, he chuckled and turned his back to leave.

"You mean jump from tree to tree?" Mei looked at Kakashi's back and then at me."Nope, we don't!"

Kakashi practically fell off the tree, along with the other ninjas who simply stared at us in awe. "HOW DID YOU GET AROUND?! Are you guys even ninjas?!" Naruto shouted while recovering from the shock.

"But you two aren't just civilians, right? I thought you two came from a ninja family?" Sai narrowed his eyes, and I could obviously tell that he didn't completely trust us. That was completely okay though, all we needed was Kakashi's trust so he could lead us to Konoha.

As if I wasn't telling a lie at all, I quickly explained. "Yes, even though they WERE ninjas, they didn't teach us anything. I guess they tried to keep us sheltered from the ninja world as much as possible." I shrugged. "I mean, they kept us in the house most of the time and didn't even take us to live in a Hidden Village. But, I guess they failed." I looked away sadly to make my lie more credible. Looking up, I saw everyone but Sai give me a look of pity. Rrgh. He's gunna be a tricky one to crack. Naruto and Sakura both jumped down from their respective places on their branches and made their way down to us.

"How about you just try? I bet you can do it! You have enough chakra too!" She put her hand on both our shoulders reassuringly. Mei and I both faintly smiled in response; we sure as hell didn't want to try. Mei and I both looked at each other before sighing.

"Alright, I'll go first." I stepped forward while rolling my shoulders, ready to get this over with. As I walked up, I looked at the branch I was going to magically leap onto. 'Fuck.' The branch was at least 9 freaking feet from the ground. "Uh, are you sure?" I looked back at the group behind me, who nodded their heads violently with their hands tense in suspense. Lastly I looked at Mei; the cheeky bastard was grinning. Flipping her off, I then turned back to . Gulping, I did what I've seen many times in the anime: I squatted, closed my eyes, and jumped as hard as my little legs let me. I felt my feet leave the ground, but unexpectedly they stayed like that WAY longer than I expected. Gingerly, I opened one eye. Flinging open the other one, I found myself well OVER the branch I was supposed to land on. I was looking far out over the tree line, mouth gaping wide. It was. . . Oddly peaceful. The wind pulled the hair out of my face, and I closed my eyes and savored the clean air. The moment ended quickly as I found myself hurtling back towards the earth, my limbs flailing. -C'mon Tonya. Land!- Taking a deep breath, I righted myself midair and prepared for landing. I shakily landed on a branch in the middle of the forest after I hit a few branches coming down. I saw Naruto in a matter of seconds, apparently he saw me coming down all crazy-like and ran to meet me in hopes of saving me.

He jumped to the branch I was standing on and grabbed my arm gently. "Are you alright? Man, you flew." He whistled before he said the comment on my "flying". It was pretty damn adorable, I must say. I just laughed, which made him laugh as well. We were soon joined by the rest of the group, including Mei. Bitch was jumping tree to tree like a damn expert. She landed on a nearby branch, smirking at me. -Damn her and her athletic skills.- I hit her upside the head, making her almost fall off her branch, but Rekka kept her from falling. Glaring at me she tried to attack me, but was held back by Rekka. He grabbed her from the back of her shirt and held her there until she calmed down. She broke free of his grip on her then climbed on his back, suddenly happy because she was on Rekka's back.

We set off, everyone but me easily jumping tree to tree. I would occasionally land on a branch wrong and trip, but Naruto held me steady the entire way. About halfway there, I started to get the hang of it which got me a huge grin from Naruto, Sakura, and Mei. I even got a approving glance from Kakashi and the annoying one (Sai). A little while later, we reached the gates of Konoha and Mei got off of Rekka. Both Mei and I froze; we were in pure, childish awe. Our mouths stretched as far as they could possibly go, taking in the sheer AWESOMENESS. Eventually, we were pushed along, ending us up at the check point at the gate. We were met by Izumo and Kotetsu, where we quickly checked in and left. Once we got the O.K. for us to proceed, all I saw was Kakashi make a hand sign and *poof* we were gone. We were inside, I could tell; the floor felt solid. Mei and I were coughing our lungs out- we weren't used to so much damn smoke. PLUS, it was without warning. I sounded like a fucking moose. I felt a pat on my back to help me, which eventually helped me to stop.

"Aww. *cough* My hero. Haha!" I smiled while looking up at Naruto, who smiled in return. Straightening myself out, I turned serious once I learned where I was.

The Hokage's office.

Looking around, I saw that our little group wasn't alone. Looking straight ahead I could see Lady Tsunade in all her glory, staring straight at me. I quickly bowed deeply, staying down the whole time while I heard the "click clack" of her heels approaching me. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Lady Tsunade smiling at me. Slightly relieved, I stood back up straight. She smiled at Mei as well, then "click clack"ed back to her desk where she sat down. Intertwining her fingers, she looked up at us. "So. Kakashi. Who are these two ladies?"

Kakashi put his book away and began. "We found these two in the woods," he jabbed a thumb in our direction, "when we were on our way to the training grounds. They say their parents died in a rival family ninja attack, but they were able to flee. Long story short, they didn't train to become ninjas, they have no village to go to, and they both have various levels of chakra."

Lady Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by various levels?"

"What I mean is that this one," he pointed to Mei, " has lower levels of chakra quantity than the other one." Mei glared at me which made me smirk at her. "But, what really interests me is that cat she has around. It seems as if It has it's own chakra reserve inside it. It's quite interesting, really." He looked at the both of us thoughtfully, which made us smile in return. "I say we let them stay and train here."

We gasped, making Lady Tsunade chuckle slightly. "I second that." I about had a heart attack right then and there. "But, I want to know your names."

Mei spoke up first. "My name is Mei, Tsunade-sama!" she ended her introduction with a salute. I glared at her discreetly; how could she let that slip? She hadn't officially said her name yet. Surprisingly, they said nothing. They just looked at me expectantly for me to continue.

Sighing in relief, I began my introduction. "My name is Tonya. Thank you very much for your kindness, Tsunade-dono." I bowed once more, but came up quickly this time.

"And your surnames?" She looked at me expectantly, so I was the one who answered.

I thought of the possible surnames, but one seemed just right for us. "Kitou." They seemed taken aback that our last names meant "Demon's Head", but quickly dismissed it. Just then out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement but paid no mind to it. "!" I jumped back from habit, staring at the space behind me. Mei looked clueless as usual, crouching down and looking around randomly to see what happened. Everyone was looking at me strangely, like I was the only one who sensed it. Embarrassed, I straightened up and scratched the back of my head while blushing slightly. "Whoops. False alarm I guess. Hehe." I heard chuckles as I kept looking down. Until a whirlwind of sand appeared. In a second it was gone. In its place, pure sexiness remained.

Gaara.

Without thinking, I let out a loud and high pitched "OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHIIICCCHAGG OOOAAHHHYYAAOOOOOO!" I really didn't care about what anyone thought at this point; Gaara was my absolute FAVORITE character. I loved him so much!

Mei just laughed as everyone else stared at me with wide eyes (except for Gaara, he just looked at me). I finally stopped spazzing to look around, meeting eyes with almost everyone. Including Gaara. Blushing madly, i set my sights downward and clutched my hands in front of me. -Good job, Tonya. You just embarrassed yourself in front of everyone.-

"What was that about, Tonya-san?" Lady Tsunade had a mixture of confusion and entertainment on her face.

"Errr... I, uh..." I looked at her sadly while whining, "Tsunade-dono do I have to? I'd rather not."

Mei looked like she was about to explode from her holding back her laugher, as was Naruto. I shut them both up with a glare, and then turned back to Lady Tsunade. I looked at her pleadingly, but I only got an evil smirk in return. "Well. . ." I paused, then glanced at Gaara for a split second. "I've always wanted to. . . meet him." They all looked at me like I was crazy (except for Mei and Gaara), shouting "Who?!" At the same time. "Gaara-san. . ." Everyone was silent and Gaara's eyes widened. The silence went on for a while, until Kakashi spoke up.

"Well then!" he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "I think we ought to go and train now!" This earned a groan from Naruto and Sakura. Sai stayed the same, as usual. Kakashi ushered them out of the office, but before Naruto was completely out the door, he took one last look at me before leaving. Along with a, "But I want to say hi to Gaara, sensei! SENSEI!" Kakashi said a last goodbye to Lady Tsunade and Mei in particular before following his students out the door.

Lady Tsunade turned her piercing gaze to Tonya. She smiled knowingly, making her skin crawl. She had a discussion with Gaara but I tuned out; I was mulling over the thought of telling her the truth about us. As I thought it over, I was pulled back by Mei smacking me on the shoulder. Gaara had already left; it was only Mei, Lady Tsunade, Rekka, and I left. Perfect. "Um, Tsunade-dono? Mei? I have something to say. Okay. First, Tsunade-dono, we lied about where we came from." She raised an eyebrow at this. "We're from another world."

I explained everything that happened and information about our world. About how Naruto is just a story, and that we're fans. Everything I knew about the shadow figure, I told them; I was tired of lying, but I knew I couldn't tell everyone the truth. Only those that mattered. I even told them about my skills. The guns, the electricity, and even the black holes that seemed to be my hands. When I finished that part, Lady Tsunade asked me to show her by trying to transport something with my hands; so I took off my backpack and tried it with that. I said the first word that popped into my head: a simple "Yusō" and the backpack was gone with a flash of blue lightning. All of us were shocked. After a brief silence, Lady Tsunade excused herself, leaving us alone. Eventually we got tired of standing, so we jumped (with our new-fangled ninja skills) onto Rekka and waited for Lady Tsunade to come back. Looking at Mei, even she was surprised by what had happened. For once, she sat in silence digesting the information she was given.

The silence was broken by the "click clack" of Lady Tsunade's heels against the floor. As she rounded the corner, our eyes widened as we saw who she had brought with her. If she brought THEM in, I knew the situation was very serious; possibly even more than I had imagined.

She had brought an ANBU black ops member.

**_A/N_**

Hi gguuyysss! :D Just wanted to let you all know that I might not be updating as frequently as I am now, but I still will be updating! I'm currently working on a Death Note and Blue Exorcist fanfic mainly (I have others I'm working on as well), and I'll put them up sometime next week (Probably?). I've planned chapters 5-8 for THIS story already and the next couple chapters for my other story Mask. All I need to do is write them! ^u^ Oh, and please review! I want to make my writing/story better, so some constructive criticism is appreciated! (Please, no flaming.)


	5. Chapter 5: Bribery

(3rd POV)

Tonya and Mei both stared at the two with a mix of fear and amazement, they never expected an ANBU to show up. The man had a sleeveless gray vest on over a sleeveless black turtle neck (which the two girls laughed inwardly at), with a cat ANBU mask to top it off. Looking closer at it, Mei tapped Tonya's shoulder while keeping her eyes locked on the mask. 'Hey. Tonya, I swear I've seen this guy before. . .'

Tonya glanced at Mei quickly, not wanting to take her eyes off of the two in front of her. 'Are you serious? Do you know how many fucking ANBU Black Ops there are?'

This time, Mei fully turned her body to Tonya and stares at her ridiculously. 'Toni, I KNOW when I've seen someone, you know how I am.' she turned back to the ANBU member with a thoughtful look on her face, until a lightbulb went off in her head. She jumped up while on Rekka, startling everyone else. 'AH! I REMEMBER! IT'S YAMATO!'

Both adults laughed at the her, earning a confused face from the two of them. "Quite frankly, we have no idea what you two are saying, but I guess you two have figured out who this is." Lady Tsunade laughed and then gave the man in the mask an approving nod, prompting him to introduce himself. He untied his mask from behind his head, and then slowly took it off. His full face was revealed, giant black eyes studying the two girls in front of him.

He smiled and held his mask to his chest. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mei, Tonya. I hope we'll get along nicely from now on."

Mei waved enthusiastically, but Tonya hesitated. "From now on. . .? No offense, but what do you mean?" Yamato glanced at Lady Tsunade and smiled before attempting to say something, only to be cut off by her.

"Let me explain this one, Yamato." He nodded his head in compliance. "So here's the deal. You two get your own house for your clan." The two girls jumped off Rekka's back at the comment, running around in circles while screaming and flailing their arms. "BUT." Tonya stopped first, then grabbed Mei by the back of her jacket to make her stop. "You both will live with Yamato on and off until further notice. That is all. He will have a separate living space just off the grounds of your territory, for defensive purposes."  
Somewhat irritated, we mumbled our thanks looking at the floor.

There was an awkward silence that continued for a while, until Yamato spoke up. "Alright then! How 'bout we go to your new home!" At this, both girls visually perked up. They both flew out the door, laughing and running in the halls.

"Good luck." Lady Tsunade put her hand on Yamato's shoulder in sympathy, he was going to need it. Without another word, Yamato ran frantically after the two, yelling "Stop please!" and "Do you even know where you're going?" all the way until they reached the outside.

"So?! Where's our house at?!" Mei was literally bouncing with excitement.

Tonya put her hand on Mei's shoulder to her calm down a little bit. "Calm it dude." She looked around for Rekka, but he was nowhere to be found. "Mei. . . Where's Rekka? Don't tell me you lost him."

Mei stopped jumping to look around for her pet, whom she didnt find. ". . .Eh? Where'd he go? REEEEKKKKKKKKKKKAAAAA!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, too lazy to walk around to see if he was hiding nearby. She got no response, which made her shrug. "He'll come by sooner or later when he's hungry." She promptly walked off ahead of them, leaving a very confused Yamato and a peeved Tonya. They both ran to catch up with her, Yamato in front to lead the way. As they walked, they recieved nervous looks as people passed them by on the street, studying them.

Tonya ran up to match the ANBU member's pace, she was concerned about something. "Yamato-sama? May I ask you a question?"

"Sure, ask away."

"Why are people looking at us like that? I mean, don't they have outsiders visit the village?"

Yamato gave her a concerned glance before explaining, "The people of Konoha don't really. . . take to outsiders typically. Don't expect a warm welcome from everybody you meet, I'm just warning you. After the incident with the Akatsuki, they don't really trust outsiders other than the people of Suna."

"But why aren't they. . . you know what, never mind. I shouldn't expect more from the people who shunned Naruto as a child, and then suddenly treat him like a hero. Bastards." She bit her thumb nail in frustration, it was becoming a habit.

"Wow, it is true. I guess you really do know everything." Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked up at his smiling face, laughing quietly to herself.

"Who else knows about us?"

"Just Hokage-sama and I know. I know only because I have to watch over you guys, it would be weird if I didn't."

Silently agreeing with him, she walked slower so she could walk next to Mei. Trying not to attract too much attention, Mei leaned closer to Tonya. 'What were you guys talking about?'

'About why everybody is looking at us weirdly. Apparently they don't like outsiders too much, so try not to piss anyone off, got it?' She nodded in agreement. 'Oh, and I found out what part of the storyline we're in. Most likely, we are before the Sasuke arc, so don't say A WORD about him right now. I want to keep the peace a little longer; it'll give us a little time to train.' Mei nodded a final time before straightening herself out and staying silent.

The rest of the trip was in a comfortable silence, the two girls examining their surroundings while trying not to make direct eye contact with anyone. Eventually, the amount of buildings thinned out until only large patches of land and large buildings remained. Yamato suddenly stopped and turned towards them with a grin on his face. "Here we are, ladies." Their mouths instantaneously dropped. It was a highly elegant traditional Japanese home, even though it was one story. Although it was only one story, it covered a large amount of square feet. The house was made of a dark wood and was surrounded by a medium-sized gate all around, with the same colored wood to match the house. On the gate, there was an even darker colored wood slate in the front where the clan sign should be.

"Yamato. . . . -sama?" Tonya finally spoke up after she recovered from the shock, Mei was still completely out of it.

"Yyeeeesss?"

"How. . . What?. . . When?" She was at a loss of words; why was a structure like this just sitting around here, shouldn't have someone taken it by now

"Haha. I made it myself." They snapped their heads to him in surprise and disbelief.

"Oh yeah! He does use Wood techniques, doesn't he?" They both slapped their foreheads in stupidity, how could they have forgotten? But still, it was amazing to see his work in person.

"Is the building permanently here, or will it just dissapear?"

"I made sure to make it strong enough so it could be used for years to come, Hokage-sama wants there to be new clans in Konoha. Be proud, you two. You guys are the first ones." He pointed over to the dark plate attached to the front of their gate. "That is where your clan sign will go. Tell me when you two decide on a symbol, I'll carve it in there for you."

They looked at each other with awe, too shocked to say anything. Then, they did what they usually do when they're excited: dance. It isn't really DANCING exactly, just lots of jumping, flailing, screaming, and occasional krumping. It continued for a good ten minutes until someone cleared their throats, making Tonya stop mid-krump. Turning, she saw Yamato, Sai, Naruto, Sakura, and Gaara all staring at them amusedly. She turned and blushed while looking at the ground, completely embarrassed. Of course, Mei had no idea what was going on, she was too busy dancing. Angry, Tonya yanks the back of Mei's jacket, making her glare over her shoulder. Sweeping her eyes over the group, she eventually just shrugs and runs into the house. Yelling, Tonya follows her, leaving the group behind in confusion. The teens all look at Yamato for some sort of explanation, who was just as confused as they were. "Honestly, I have no idea." Yamato looks at them and smiles. "It's nice of you all to visit, but you guys should come back another time, they'll probably be busy getting used to the house."

Naruto smiled and nodded, glancing at the house before walking away, the rest of the group following. Sighing, Yamato looks at the house before walking towards his small house located just outside the gates of their home; he wanted to leave them to explore by themselves.

Inside the home, the two girls were going crazy. The inside was HUGE. Looking around, they found everything they needed: A kitchen, a formal dining room, a living room, a library, about five small bedrooms, and two baths. 'Don't you think this is kind of odd? I mean, why would they just make us a house like this? Unless. . . oh, I see. It's because we know the truth about what happened, and what WILL happen in the future. They want to keep us, use us to their advantage.' Near the end, Tonya was talking more to herself. Looking to the left where Mei should have been, she found empty space instead; she had been talking to herself the entire time.

'TONI! COME CHECK THIS OUT!' Rolling her eyes, she ran over to the general area where she heard her voice, only to find herself face-to-face with Rekka.

'THE FUCK?!' she tripped on her feet and fell on her butt, making Rekka make a sound like he was laughing.

Mei walked into the hallway and looked at Tonya weirdly. 'Dude, what are you doing? C'mon!' She made her way past Rekka and grabbed my hand to help me up, then pulled me into a room at the end of the hall. It was a small, cozy room made entirely of wood (with an exception of the bed and the sheets), with a rather large window behind the bed. The walls were really busy, the wood chosen for the panelling all had intricate swirls carved in them. There was even a big enough space so Rekka could lay on the floor if he wanted. Secretly, Tonya hoped that all the rooms weren't like this; she wouldn't be able to concentrate with all the swirls. 'Kickass, right?!' She threw her hands up for emphasis.

'Well, it's very. . . loud.'

Playfully scowling, she pushed Tonya out the door and made her way over to the bed. 'Jackass. Imma go take a nap, wake me up if anything happens. Night!' Tonya waved goodnight and then softly closed the door behind her.

'Now to find my room.' She walked from door to door along the hallway Mei was located in, which the right section of the house. Either they were too small, the windows were too big (she didn't like too much light when she was trying to sleep), or some other trait that she didn't like. At the very end of the hallway where all of the rooms were located, she seriously hoped that this one was IT. The area she could call her own. Opening the door, a smile instantly graced her features.

It was slightly bigger than Mei's room (she'd have to brag about it to her later), but only because there was a large bookshelf/cubby installed in the left wall. The windows were small, situated next to the simple black bed. The wood panelling around the room were a reddish-brown color, with no engravings. Just simple wood. Smiling even wider, she made her way over to the bookcase and ran her fingers along the shelves; she couldn't wait to fill them.

She reached her hands to her shoulders to try to remove her backpack, but of course it wasn't there; she had forgotten she had transported it a little while ago. Looking at her hands again, she still couldn't believe the situation they were in. It all just seemed like a crazy dream.

"Haitatsu."

In her palms, her backpack materialized. Setting it on the ground and going through it, she pulled out a few things and then closed it once more. "Yusō." The backpack disappeared once more, the lighting blots on her hands pulsing blue. She grabbed the book that she got from her backpack on the bookshelf and smiled to herself, looking at the start of a new collection. The book was "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christe; she seriously never got tired of reading that book, it was such a classic. She grabbed the other two things off of the floor and headed over to the area where the shelves were. In one hand, she held her iPod nano, and the other had her earbuds. She set them in the cubby closest to the book, and then turned and walked toward the door to close it. Once closed, she made her way over to the bed. Taking off her boots, socks, and hoodie, she slipped under the cold sheets, thinking of what would happen tomorrow. She knew that the Hokage had them here for a reason, they wanted to know the future. But, Tonya had decided long ago that she wouldn't tell them a word; she would make sure Mei wouldn't either. Relaxing a little, she set her worries aside for a moment to get some sleep. Three minutes later, she fell into a deep sleep.

_A/N_

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you guys know that the next chapter will be a break from the main story. It's not really a break, but it's just a chapter that's mainly about Mei; Tonya is asleep the whole time. (Yes, she's a lazy bum half of the time.) Again, please review and no flames! Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6: Green Jumpsuits and Dumplings

(Mei POV)

*Yaaawwwnnn*

Stretching my arms, I sit up in bed and let my eyes readjust to the dim lighting. Looking around, I was expecting to be in my room at home, but instead I was greeted by a feeling of loneliness. I was all alone, something I definitely didn't like. I turned my body around on my bed and rose to my knees, reaching the olive green curtains behind my bed. I opened then fully with a loud 'swish', then examined the view outside. The sun was up, but just barely. Smiling to myself, I stand up and jump out of bed, landing perfectly in a 'T' formation. Running to the door, I open the door quietly (I don't want to wake Tonya, she's a demon when she does.) and peek around the corner, trying to figure out what room she picked. I took a step out of the room to get a better view down the hall, but I hit something with my foot. Looking down, I see a pile of clothes and a pair of ninja sandals. Confusedly, I pick the clothes up and examine them, and then look back down the hall. There's a similar pile of clothes at the last door down the hall; of course she chooses the most secluded and dark room.

I went back in the room to change, locking the door behind me. I scattered the clothing on the floor, observing what all I got. An olive pair of weird-looking shorts,a black racer-back seamless tank, a small light tan weapon pouch that looked like a fanny pack almost, and black ninja sandals. "Oh my lord. Naruversee clottheesss!" I almost tore my clothes off trying to get them off, I wanted to try on the clothes as fast as possible. The shorts fit weird, so I decided to just wear my sweatpants instead.

After I changed, I shook out my hair and plaited it into a fishtail braid onto my right shoulder. I did a few morning stretches, then finally left my room; I wanted to check on Tonya. Tiptoeing down the hallway so I didn't wake her up, I opened her door with a painful *crreeeaaakkk* and peeked inside. "Pfft!" Covering my mouth so I wouldn't laugh loudly, I looked at my best friend who was now my sister. Tonya had fallen asleep sitting up in her bed, pillows propped behind her. Books were EVERYWHERE, on the floor, the bed, on the shelves in her room, and on her lap. Looking at the neat pile of books at the foot of her bed, I'd say she read about eleven books and was working on her twelfth when she dropped off.

Closing the door with another *ccrreeeaakkk* I close the door and then bound down the hallway and out into our living room (which was also wooden) to look for Rekka, he wasn't in the room when I woke up. Looking around our rather large living room with raised ceilings, I turned my attention to the object on our navy blue couch; it sure as hell wasn't there yesterday. Walking up to it, I noticed that it was a sword, with a long handle and blade. It was a deep obsidian black, with red marks all on the front that looked like a spider's web. Looking around first, I slowly walked up to it and gingerly touched the handle.

'Hello, Mei." A deep, manly voice resonated in my head.

I immediately snatched my hand off of the handle and cradled my hand, surprised. The voice I heard was Rekka's, except he was nowhere to be found. "Re. . . kka? Where are you?"

No response.

I brought my hand to the blade once more, "I'm right here!" I latched both my hands around the handle and raised it easily, it was a lot lighter than it looked.

I raised an eyebrow at him (it?) and held the blade close to my face. "You're kidding me, right? Are in you in there or something?"

"This is who I am, Mei."

"Uhh. . . no you're not. You're my pet cat."

"Actually, a cat I am not; I am much nobler than a lowly cat."

"Then. . ." I stopped to cough, away from the blade of course. "What are you, dude?"

"Did you really just refer to me as 'dude'?" Rekka sighed, and then started to explain. "I am a spirit, not a lowly cat." He spat out the word cat, as if just saying it made him feel dirty.

"A spirit. Really? Like those fairies and pixies and shit like that?"

I could tell I was getting on his nerves, the red markings on the front starting to glow. "I'M NOT A GODDAMN PIXIE!" I squinted my eyes and clapped the hand that wasn't holding the handle over my ear, my head was throbbing. "I'm a protective spirit; one of the best, actually. Now are you thankful that I chose you?"

I still wasn't impressed. "Thankful that a pixie chose me?"

"UGH! THAT'S IT!" A flare of fire shot up from the sword, and I shielded my eyes from the sudden bright light. Blinking rapidly to disperse the clouds forming in my eyes, I brought both of my palms to them and rubbed. "Just go about your day, I need to go and do something anyway. Goodbye, Mei." With that, there was another flash of fire; he was gone.

Shrugging, I turn and run out the front door and gate and onto the street. Taking a deep breath and bringing my arms up over my head, I prepared myself for my morning run. Just as I was about to turn to start my workout, a huge dust cloud (mixed with. . . fire?) came barreling toward me. Jumping backwards to avoid the dust. . . cloud. . . thing, I catch a glimpse of green as it passes; I know what it is now. I smiled widely and followed directly behind it, not once slowing down. Apparently it spotted me, because about a mile in, it suddenly stopped. This, of course, made me run straight into it, sending me flying. I landed flat on my face and then rolled a good 5 meters before finally sliding to a stop (on my face). I felt someone run rapidly toward me and then drop to their knees when they were right next to me. "Oh my goodness!" -Is this guy an old lady or something? Who talks like that?- I internally rolled my eyes and then turned my attention back to what he was saying. "I wasn't expecting you to be so close! Are you okay, little girl?!" Oh, Lee. Annoying as always.

I was going to forgive him, up until I heard the last two words of his apology. "What did you say?" My strength suddenly returned, I propped up myself with my elbows, still looking at the ground. "You didn't say what I thought you said, did you?" I looked over at him with a fake smile, this guy's just waiting to die.

"What do you mean, little girl? I meant every word I said, if that's what you mean!" He gave me a sparkly smile and thumbs up; like that makes it any better.

I stood up shakily on one leg, and then eventually the other as well. I kept my head down the whole time, the hands by my side swinging. "Listen bitch, don't call me 'little girl'," Looking him fully in his face, I held a finger between his strangely circular eyes. "I'm older than you."

He stared, eyes and mouth open wide with surprise. "It's not good to lie, little lady. It's a waste of youth!"

Unsuspecting, I smiled sweetly to get his guard down. "You're right, mister. I'll be more trustworthy from now on."

"That's the spirit, lit-" He was interrupted by my fist connecting with his face, his bowl cut whipping in the wind. He hit the back of his head on the ground, and I enjoyed every second of it. Sadly, he got up as soon as he got put down, hands up in a fighting position.

"I already told you I'm older than you." I crossed my arms and just looked at him, angry that he kept referring me as "little girl".

"You're lying, and I know it. I can feel it!"

Sighing, I scratch the back of my head. -What can I do to make this creep believe me? Even if I wanted to, I couldn't beat it into him. Logic's out of the question, too.-

"Why won't you say anything?! Are you making up your next lie?!"

"OH MY GAWD. ENOUGH!" Pissed, I moved my fist back to take a swing at him, but it was held in place by an unfamiliar hand. Snapping my head around, I see the other idiot: Guy sensei. "UUUUUGHHHHHH!" I drop to my knees and clutch my head, I'm so fucking frustrated. Not only do I have to deal with one jumpsuit, but now I have to deal with the other.

"What's going on here, Lee?" He removed the hand on my fist and then placed it on my head (which made me even madder), looking down at me with a serious expression. "Is everything alright?"

"Guy-sensei!" Lee immediately perked up, dropping his defensive stance. "It's her fault! She's lying about her age! I called her unyouthful (made that word up) and then she just punched me, sensei!"

Guy stooped down and observed me for a couple minutes, turning my head back and forth with his index finger on his chin. "OH!" He finally let go of my head, teeth sparkling. "YES, YOU'RE THAT GIRL LADY TSUNADE TOLD ME ABOUT! LEE!" He grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me towards Lee. "THIS IS KITOU MEI, PLEASE BE NICE WITH HER!"

"Nice to meet you Kitou-san! But sensei, she still lied!"

"She only half lied, Lee. She's the same age as you."

Both my and Lee's mouths dropped, too stunned to say anything at first.

"But this girl is so small!"

"But this creep is so damn childish!"

The both of us looked at each other with discontent before turning back to Guy. "I see you two have internal problems you need to fix. . ."

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, INTERNAL PROBLEMS?! WE JUST MET! You know what. . . Goodbye. Just bye. I'm done." I turned the other way to FINALLY start my morning jog, only to be stopped by Guy's hand.

"Not so fast! Where are you going?"

I turned around very slowly, locking eyes with Guy. "My morning jog. Now leave me be." I tried to run away, but he just stopped me again.

"HOW ABOUT YOU RUN WITH LEE? OH! TRAIN WITH US TOO!"

". . . Pass."

"COME ON, MEI!"

"No."

"OKAY THEN! YES, IT IS!"

"What are you talking about?! I just sa-" I never got to finish what I said, Guy started throwing ninja stars at me. "DUDE!"

"If you run fast enough, he won't hit you!" Lee had already started to run, leaving me with Guy.

"GGRRAAAHHHH!" Eventually, I gave up and started running, catching up with Lee. "So *Huff* how *Huff* much longer *Huff* do we *Huff* have to *Huff* run?"

"About 50 miles."

"WHAT?!" I tried to stop and flee, but Guy stopped me with his ridiculous ninja stars. Sighing in defeat, I decided I would run until my legs gave out; at least then I'd be safe from ninja stars.

I was right; I did collapse in the middle of it. About 16 miles in, my legs began to get wobbly and I dropped. Even with the sudden strength I suddenly got from being in this world, my body was still not used to this.

Next thing I know, cold water was being thrown on me. Usually, I would have immediately jumped up and beat the shit out of whoever did this, but I was way too tired.

"Wow. She's really out of it."

-No shit.- I felt myself being picked up and carried; it was actually really relaxing. My conscious was fading; I tried I fight it, but I couldn't help it. With the wind brushing against my sweaty skin, I fell under.

~Le Time Skip~

I woke up on a flat rock, head pounding. I sat up quickly, on the lookout for any men with bowlcuts or green jumpsuits. Looking around, I saw no one; I was in the clear! I stood up slowly, if they're nearby, I didn't want them to hear me and come over.

"Meeeeeiiii~!" Lee came running over to me yelling along with Guy, holding something in his hand. "Are you aallllrriigghhtttt?"

"Just peachy! I'll just, uh, go now! Okay, yeah, thanks, bye." I turned around to leave, but was intercepted (AGAIN).

"Where are you going, Mei?"

"So. . . do you just think you can call me by my first name like that?"

Lee faltered, clearly saddened. "Well. I'm sorry, I just assumed, because, um, Guy-sensei called you that."

"It's fine. I SAID IT'S FINE." Lee finally perked up again and came bounding over to me.

"I got you a present, Mei!" He held out something green, and I immediately knew what it was.

"No."

"But Guy sensei and I both wanted to let you join us!"

"Do it for youth!" They both flashed me a thumbs up, sparkling with stupidity.

What came next was because of pure adrenaline. After a brief awkward silence, I turned and ran as fast as humanly possible. There was no way in hell I was wearing that/joining them. After about five minutes of straight running, the scenery began to change; I was in the town part of Konoha. I slowed to a stop and started to walk slowly through the streets, taking everything in. I passed by a few food stands along the way; my stomach grumbled each time. "But I didn't get to eat breakfast!" I tried to reason with one of them to spare me at least something, but he just wouldn't listen. He just shook his head no and turned back to his griddle. Damn. People in this place really don't like outsiders.

Defeated, I go to the entrance of a random alleyway and into my emo corner. I was too tired to go home, but I didn't have any money. I should've asked Lee and Guy when I had the chance.

"Ah. You." Turning, I see the man I wanted too see the most: Kakashi.

"Kakashi-seennsseeeiii!" I start to cry right then and there, stomach growling as well.

He pauses and looks at me for a few seconds, "I guess you're okay, then." He swivels around super fast to try and escape, but I lunge and grab his pant leg before he does.

"Kakashi-sensseeeiiii! HELP MEEEE!" I plead him with free-flowing tears and mucus. "I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon!"

" *sigh*. . . Fine, follow me. My treat."

Excitedly, I try to stand up but fail; I push myself harder than I thought. "Uhh. . . Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes?" I could tell he was getting agitated, he had already started to walk away.

"Don't hate me for this, but I can't walk."

". . . Seriously."

"Yeah. Guy-sensei and Lee made me train with them. They almost made me wear one of their jumpsuits."

". . . Enough said. Hold on a moment." He walked over to me and squatted, back facing me. "Come on."

Happily, I jumped on his back. You don't get a chance like this everyday, you know. "Yay!" I whistled the entire time he was carrying me, silently thanking Lee and Guy for pushing me this far. Sometimes, I would smell his hair just to be a creep. I could tell he got uncomfortable by the seventh time I took a whiff; so, being the extremely considerate person I am, I made it even more obvious. He was really uncomfortable and was starting to sweat profusely; I, on the other hand, was having the time of my teenage life.

"Okay, we're here." He said the last sentence really quickly and threw me off of him just as fast.

"Sensei! That hurt!" I rubbed my butt, still smiling. At least I landed on my butt instead of my face.

"Just choose what you want."

Looking around, I saw that we were at a barbecue food stall, the exact one that tuned me down. I stood up shakily and sat down at the counter, glaring at the shop owner. "What's wrong?"

"This punk didn't help me. I bet he'd let me starve." I jabbed a finger at him, eyes cast downward. Kakashi eyed the shop owner, who shifted uncomfortably due to the pressure.

"But she isn't a Konoha ninja. She's an outsider, she might even be an enemy." He tried to ignore us and just resume his cooking, but Kakashi-sensei was stuck on this subject.

"She isn't an enemy. Plus, she's with me, so it doesn't matter. Give me some pork dumplings, beef stir fry, chicken teriyaki, and some shrimp tempera."

"Yes sir!" As he made our order, we sat in silence for a few minutes. I was really surprised he had stuck up for me and took charge, even though that's kinda what he has to do as a living anyway.

"I got a mix of meat because I didn't know what you would like. Hope that's alright." He sat down in the stool next to mine and propped up his head on his hand.

"Oh, no, it's alright! It's perfectly fine." I adverted my eyes back to the counter, embarrassed.

"Mmkay then." We sat in silence (again) until he broke the silence. "So. . . how old are you?"

I looked up at him and raised my eyebrow, "Why? Ooohhhhh. I get it. You're trying to figure out if I'm too young, eh?"

He just looked at me for a while and then looked back at the food the shop owner was making. "I just wanted to know, Mei."

"Fine, I'm seventeen." I turned to him fully and propped up my head with my hand as well, mimicking him. "Am I old enough?"

"Mei, you're only a year or two older than my students."

"Yeah, and?" As soon as I said this, our food was set in front of us; they looked delicious. "Itadakimasu!"

While I was in the middle of inhaling my food, I felt Kakashi looking at me. "Do yew whantch schome?" I offered the plate of dumplings to him, but he refused.

"No, I'm fine just looking at you." I could tell he was smiling by the wrinkles in his mask and his eyes. "I just can't see how you're seventeen."

"You and everybody else. If anybody knew what I went through, they probably wouldn't think so." I set my chopsticks down and looked at him, not even bothering to say my thanks for the meal.

". . . What do you mean?"

"Nothing important." I got up and dusted myself off, ready to go; the set was already setting."Now, are you going to take me home? I honesty don't know where it is."  
I scratched my head, clueless; this made Kakashi laugh.

"Alright, I will." he made a quick hand sign, and I recognized what he was doing a second too late.

"Wait n-"

*poof* There was another huge cloud of smoke, which I choked on. Again. I had a rather nasty coughing fit, holding my sides and crouching down. "You okay?"

"Phew. Yeah." I stood up fully and turned to Kakashi, who was smiling again. "You think that's funny, huh?"

Kakashi just laughed, which really got on my nerves. "Goodbye, Mei."

"Hold on!" I held up my hands for him to stop his hand signs, I needed to do something before he left. Jogging up to him, I grabbed his shoulder and gestured for him to bend down. Confusingly, he slowly bent down and placed the side of his face by my mouth Taking advantage of him, I lean forward and place a kiss on his cheek (even though it was covered by his mask); I desperately wanted him to not think of me as a kid. "Goodnight, Kakshi-sensei." Without waiting for a response, I run through the front door and into the house, excited that something actually went right today.

_A/N_

The next chapter will be from the main story, and mostly about Tonya. As always, THANKS FOR READING! Please review/no flames!


	7. Chapter 7: Explanation

(Tonya POV)

*flap!*

As soon as I woke up, I threw the book off my lap and onto the floor, I was extremely frustrated. Myback was KILLING ME, I was stupid for falling asleep sitting upright. I turn my back side to side, cracking my spine, the other books on my legs shifting. Not even bothering to move them to the side, I swing my legs over the side of the bed (very slowly) and start to stand (again, very slowly) while cracking my neck. Not even bothering to open my black curtains, I walk over to the shelved wall and pick up my iPod nano and earbuds; I never go anywhere without them.

I sleepily open the door and shuffle out, not paying attention to what was on the ground. I step on the pile of clothes in front of my door, almost falling. Luckily, I grabbed the doorframe before it was too late. 'Why does this shit always happen to me. . .?' I exhaled and looked down, eyes still fuzzy from sleep. -Must be Yamato's doing.- The previously neat pile of my clothes were strewn all along my doorway, and being me, I kicked everything into my bedroom (bending over is too much work) and closed the door again. Not even bothering to look at what he got for me, I picked them up by kicking them into my hands and then hung them neatly in the closet. I also picked up my hoodie, socks, and boots and put them in their respective places. Wearing only my cami and jeans, I slip on the black ninja sandals that were included in the pile as well.

I pull my hair into a ponytail with a piece of navy blue fabric that I found and head out the door, still tired. -Mei's probably up by now. . . The damn sun is up.- I dragged my feet into the living room, trying to get into the kitchen.

'Morning, sleepyhead!' Mei gave me one of her refreshing smiles, she always cheered me up. She was sitting on the living room couch and was brushing Rekka, who was purring with content.

' Mornin' Mimi.' I scratched my arm, trying to formulate what I was trying to say. 'Uhh. . . Oh yeah. How long was I asleep?' Mei opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her. 'Wait. Before you answer that, I need to know something. Is there any food in the house?'

'If you're asking if there's coffee, then the answer is yes, Toni.' I practically ran into the kitchen, I was a serious coffee addict. I saw multiple wooden containers on the dark oak kitchen counters, then stopped at each one to see which one had coffee in it. 'Anyway, do you even know how long you were asleep?'

'Uhh.' I lifted up the first jar and sniffed. -Nope. Green tea.- 'No idea.' I moved onto the second jar and sniffed again. -Dammit. Some sort of peachy white tea. . . -'Fourteen hours? That's usually how long I sleep. . .' Trailing off, I moved onto the third jar, silently hoping it would be coffee grinds. Removing the lid, I was instantly greeted with the smell of coffee. Looking inside, I see ground up coffee beans. Smiling to myself, I run my fingers through the grinds and look around for some sort of coffee maker; of course, I don't find one. Rummaging around, I find a small glass pot with a handle; I'll just make mountain coffee. I pour enough water into the pot for myself and then spoon in the coffee grinds, setting it on the stove to let it boil.

'You slept more than twenty-four hours, Toni.'

I chuckled, keeping an eye on the pot because it was starting to boil; I really wanted my coffee. 'You're lying, Mei. There's no way in hell that I slept for more than a day.'

'Well, you did. And to prove it, I have a few people that saw me yesterday!' She held up her brush at me, giving me a stern look. She explained what she did yesterday in great detail, but my attention was diverted when the water started to boil. I held up a finger to signal her to wait, then began a search for something to strain my coffee with. I found a meshed wire strip and a white mug, then placed it next to the pot of boiling coffee. 'I'm good. Carry on.' I poured the coffee through the mesh and into the mug, then moved to the fridge to find milk and sugar. Adding what I wanted, I moved back into the living room to finish talking with Mei.

'So, as I was saying, Kakashi-sensei took me home. That's it.' I sipped my coffee while raising an eyebrow, I didn't buy it.

'Tell the truth. What else happened?'

'I kissed him. IT WAS JUST ON THE CHEEK, DAMN! CALM DOWN!' -Aww. She's so adorable.- Whenever she yelled in these situations, I knew she was just embarrassed; I could tell she really liked Kakashi.

'But what about you, smartass?'

'What about me?'

'Gaara.'

I spit out my coffee, sending Mei into a laughing fit. She rolled off the couch and onto the floor, gripping her sides. Pissed, I decide to use some of the knowledge I learned last night; I didn't know I would get to use it so soon. I aimed my left palm at her feet, careful not to aim at an area that would be dangerous.

"Sensei Kōgeki (First Strike)." A bolt of blue electricity jutted out of my palm, which caused me to slip slightly; I really needed to get used to this. The lighting bolt hit her ankle, almost setting her sweatpants on fire; I ran over and stomped on her leg to put it out, but it definitely didn't help with Mei's pain.

'BITCH! WHAT WAS THAT?!' Mei held her leg while rocking back and forth, glaring at me the entire time.

'You were annoying me, so I decided to try something out on you, that's all.' I nervously took a sip of my coffee and sat down on Rekka, I knew she was going to get me back somehow.

'Oh, really?' She unfolds herself and sits Indian style, then leans forward and places her elbows on her thighs, propping up her head with a smirk. 'I still know that you wanna get in Gaara's little turban!'

I got up and smacked the back of Mei's head, definitely embarrassed. 'Shut up! Gaara doesn't even wear a freaking turban!' I chug down the rest of my coffee and run over to the front door; I needed to go and do some thinking alone.

'Where are ya goin'?'

'Away from you, crazy!' With a smile, I slammed the door behind me and made my way down our secluded road, lost in thought. I already knew Mei was clueless, that is how she usually is; naive. I already knew that the Hokage definitely wanted something from us, I mean come on. Completely believing us when we said we were from a different world? Just giving us a house for our clan to live in, even though we were "rogue ninja"? No, there was something else that we didn't know; I needed to find that one piece of information, it'll kill me if I don't.

Looking around, I saw that this was the perfect place to practice the teleportation jutsu; I spent an all-nighter memorizing some simple ones. "Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)!"

A cloud of smoke surrounded me, and I found myself in the shopping centre of Konoha. This time, I didn't choke! I did a quick happy dance, and then started to walk when I noticed people looking at me strangely. I browsed the stalls, looking at what they had to offer. One stall in particular caught my eye: a kimono and fan shop. I quickly made my way over to the shop, trying not to get ran over by the stream of people.

In the whole store, only a single fan caught my eye. It was silver with black and white ornate flowers intricately painted on the silk. I ran my fingers over it gently, not wanting to break it; I didn't have any money, after all. I stopped as soon as I saw the shopkeeper glare at me, I really didn't want to start any trouble. Mei already had trouble with one of them. I turned to leave, continuing through the maze of streets and alleys, until finding myself in the presence of a familiar group: Team 7. "Guys! Over here!" I waved my hands, trying to get their attention. Finally, Sai looked my way and blinked twice in surprise, then tapped his teammates to get their attention. He pointed my way and then the three of them came jogging over, Naruto and Sakura both waving and smiling. I said hi to each of them in turn, greeting Sai only because it would be awkward if I didn't.

"Hello Tonya-san!" Sakura walked up and gave me a hug which I gladly returned.

"Don't be so formal! That goes for all of you." I narrowed my eyes and pointed at them as if I were lecturing them.

"Okay Tonya-chan!" Naruto turned so that we were standing side by side, then draped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed.

Sakura gave Naruto a "what the fuck are you doing" look and then looked at me with a totally different expression. "Hey Tonya-chan, do you want to come with us?" She clapped her hands in excitement, "We're trying to find Gaara!"

I stiffened at the mention of Gaara's name, and Naruto took notice. His grip tightened, and his face became unreadable. "Why are you trying to find him. . ." I tried to remain as calm as possible, I didn't want to turn all fangirl again- that was super embarrassing.

"He's my friend, of course! I want to see him before he leaves!" His smile suddenly returned; he was excited at the thought of seeing his dear friend.

"But. . . isn't it a tad weird for me to go and see him?" I was trying SO HARD to leave, I had a feeling that when I met him something bad would happen. "Plus, I'm heading to Lady Tsunade's office, anyway." I made the last part up, hoping they would buy it.

"That's actually where we were going." CURSE YOU, SAI!

"Shall we go together?" Sakura smiled and grabbed my arm, dragging me away from Naruto. My heels dug in the ground, but I was still being pulled; I forgot how strong Sakura was in the anime/manga.

Eventually, I gave up and allowed myself to be pulled; I needed to talk to Lady Tsunade anyway. It was bound to happen sooner or later, so why not just start a bit early? The conversation might cost both of our lives, but at least I'll be able to set the record straight.

~Meanwhile~

(Mei POV)

'That bitch.'

My leg was still throbbing from when Tonya practically set me on fire, and then STOMPED ON ME to put it out. Next time I see her, I'm gunna kill her. I limp into the kitchen to find something else to eat; I get hungry when I'm angry.

I turned around when I thought I heard a man mumble, but it turns out it was only Rekka. He held his paw to his mouth, trying to stifle the laugh coming out of his mouth (or snout?). "Hey Rekka~? Whatcha laughin' 'bout?" I peeked around my shoulder with a very strained smile on my face.

"I-I wasn't laughing! I was coughing!"

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, you overgrown pixie." I continued my limping all the way into the kitchen and grabbed a banana off of the counter, then limped back into the living room. Plopping myself on the couch, I propped up my feet on Rekka's head. "Seriously, that girl." I shook my head, "She's like a rebellious teenage boy. Quick to resort to violence and she leaves the house at random times. Tsk."

"Look who's talking. . ." Rekka suddenly lifted his head, forcing my feet up and making me choke on my banana. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but he beat me to it. "Speaking of which, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Your powers." He stood up on all fours, looking me in the eyes. "Truth is, at the moment you're weaker than Tonya. In my mind, you may never be stronger than her."

After coughing up the banana lodged in my throat, I stared at him openly. "The fuck do you mean, never?!"

"The spirit she has is more powerful."

"Enough with this spirit crap! It's all just a bunch of bullshit, anyway."

Rekka slammed his paw on my chest, pinning me to the couch. "I will tell you one more time, do you understand me?" I nodded my head in fear, too surprised to say anything. "I am neither a pixie, nor a fairy. I am a special kind of spirit."

"What do you mean?"

Rekka paused and slowly removed his paw from me, setting it on the floor. "To put it simply, I am a lesser, non-demon form of a Bijuu. But, I am not a demon; we are assigned a human to protect."

". . . What do you mean? I still don't follow. . ."

"What I mean is," he held his paw out to me and laid it on my lap. "You are my human. At this moment, I exist solely for you." After he said this, he stared off into space for a bit; thinking of what to say next. Eventually, he got up and started pacing the room. "But Tonya's spirit might endanger her. Her name is Unmei no Yoru; one of the strongest spirits there are. To put this into perspective, it was because of her doing that you were transported here in the first place."

I gasped, slightly shaken up. "But that's not possible! I mean, you guys don't even exist in our world!"

"Wrong. We do exist, but you just can't see us. Very rarely does a spirit such as Unmei appear in the human world, much less show itself to its owner." He looked at me thoughtfully, and then continued. "I talked to her the other day, that's why you didn't see me at all. She said she had a mission for Tonya, something that she couldn't tell me. Of course, I asked her what it was; but she didn't tell me, she said the first she will tell would be her 'precious Tonya'."

"Her precious?"

"It seems that she loves her very much, which is a very good sign; at least Unmei won't kill her. Usually in these cases, strong spirits like her kill their owners to become more powerful, but Unmei has a special connection with Tonya. Long story short, she said that she will reveal herself fully to Tonya and tell her everything. Until then, we must not say a word."

"So I'm just not supposed to tell her?! What kind of bullshit is that?!" I stood up angrily, fists clenched. "She's my younger sister now; I don't want to keep secrets from her."

"I know how you feel, but you need to respect both Unmei AND Tonya by keeping quiet." He stopped pacing and looked at me again, eyes glowing faintly. "Things will all work out in the end."

Defeated, I sit back down and look at my feet. ". . . Will we even be able to go back?" My voice was barely audible, I was exhausted already although the day had only just begun.

". . . I don't know. Unmei told me nothing about that subject, not even how she transported you two. Trust me, I wanted to know just as much as you. In the meantime, we need to train. Who knows who you'll go against; you haven't even used any ninjutsu at all."

"So I'll be able to shoot stuff out of my hands?!"

"No. That's Tonya's own special power; she can do most ninjutsu without forming hand signs. Sadly, you cannot because I am neither strong enough nor old enough. But, your spiritual weapon is stronger than hers."

"Spiritual weapon? You mean she has one as well?" I kind of figured that my weapon was the blade Rekka turned into, but I was confused at the thought of Tonya having one as well.

"Yeah, she does. In fact, she has two guns; they're both Unmei. She doesn't fully know how to use her, but her sync rate is high; she'll probably learn how to use them in no time. But, they're not as strong as yours."

"Why does she have it so easy?! First, she's more powerful than me, and now she's going to be able to learn faster than me too?! Why?!"

"Because she has more risk involved. She has physical deformities (her palms) and has an increased risk of disease. Not only that, but she has at least twenty years shaved off of her life. You'll most likely live longer than her."

My anger was immediately replaced by sadness; I didn't want to live to watch my friend die. ". . . Why?"

"Simply because she has a stronger spirit. So what I'm suggesting for you to do is to train to get stronger and be there for her, she needs you."

"I still can't believe everything, but. . ." I walked over to Rekka and brought my hands to the sides of his neck, smiling lightly. "I guess I ought to start, then."

_A/N_

Thanks for reading! Please review/no flames! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ


	8. Chapter 8: Option

(Mei POV)

As soon as Rekka and I finished our conversation, we hightailed it to the back door where the training grounds were. I slammed open the back door, then leaped onto the porch ready to go. "Follow me." I complied, following him into the open. The clearing was about 40 meters away from a large forested area, dense and dangerous-looking. "Okay, now listen closely. You WILL NOT leave the training grounds, even if something happens. We absolutely cannot be any more behind than we already are."

"Understood!" I saluted him and then ran over to him, ready for some action. "What do I do first?"

Rekka trotted up to me and gestures to the top of his head, bending over. "Place your hand on my forehead."

I complied, placing two of my fingers in between his eyes. Immediately there was a flash of red light, and the broadsword materialized in my hand. It was glowing faintly, gently pulsing to the touch. "Do exactly what I say, alright?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Now hold me in one hand and hold your other palm towards the sky." I shifted the sword into my left hand and held out the other one. "Now focus your energy into both hands; concentrate on simply materializing it." I concentrated for a good four minutes, but nothing happened.

"It's nnottt wwwwooorrrrrrkkkkiinngggg!" I stomp and flail dramatically, completely frustrated.

"Mei calm down, okay? Toss me."

I stopped moving and then looked at Rekka (in sword form) confusedly. "Just throw you?" I shrugged, but complied anyway. "Whatever you say, dude." Another wave of flames shot out of the sword, making me shield my eyes.

"This is what I was afraid of. You still can't materialize your chakra."

"WHAT!? Am I really that useless?"

"I never said you were useless, Mei. You just haven't been formally trained in chakra control or the ninja arts in general. I'm not that comfortable with teaching you that, so I think you need to ask someone else."

"WHAT."

"Calm down, calm down. Just get someone to teach you the basics of ninjutsu and taijutsu; I'll take it from there. Until then, we can't proceed."

I sighed and crossed my arms in frustration, I was sick and tired of waiting. "Oh my lord. Fine. Lemme just think of somebody." I brought my fingers to my temples, thinking hard. "Oooohhhh I know who." Smiling to myself, I turn and run around the side of the house and onto the street; I'm on a mission. "C'mon Rekka. Let's find my new sensei."

(Tonya POV)

After about 13 minutes of walking (dragging), we finally reached Lady Taunade's office. When we walked in she was staring out the window, lost in her thoughts. "Tsunade-sama!" Sakura piped up when she saw her teacher, finally letting go of me.

She turned around and smiled at us, apparently in a good mood; which was awesome for me, I didn't want to talk to her if she was in a bad mood. "Hey guys. What do you need?"

"Hey Granny Tsunade, where's Gaara?!"

She ignored the first part of his question, but I could tell that she was slightly pissed. "Right behind you, smartass."

I slowly turned around, slightly scared. -Please don't . . . Please don't . . . - Damn. Yup, there he was. Again.

"Gaara!" Naruto ran up to Gaara, face bright and smiling. He placed one of his hands on Gaara's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. "How ya been?!"

"Fine, thanks." Of course he gave Naruto the bare minimum for an answer, being typical Gaara. "I see you've been fine as well." -Oh, Gaara.- I shook my head while giggling, -Gaara's so cute.- As soon as I got done thinking that, I felt a chill go down my spine. Looking over vvvveeerryyy slowly, I locked eyes with Gaara. I whipped my head back towards the front, trying hard to ignore him.

"Tsunade-dono!" Surprised, Lady Tsunade widened her eyes, but she still answered me.

"Yes, Tonya-san?"

"I-I need to talk to you. It's urgent." This time, I could feel everyone's eyes on me; this whole deal was getting really uncomfortable.

"Very well." She walked over to her seat and sat down with her legs crossed. "You may speak now."

I paused for a few seconds to get my courage up and took a deep breath. "Alone . . . I'd like to talk to you . . . alone."

Another look of surprise crossed her face, but it was soon replaced by an unreadable one. "Alright. Sakura, take Sai and Naruto and leave if you would please."

"Yes ma'am!" Sakura gave me a look of concern, which I returned with a smile; I really didn't want them to worry.

Once the three left, Gaara came over and stood next to me, blatantly staring. "Shizune! Get in here!" I jumped slightly at the volume of her voice; it was louder than she usually talked. About seven seconds later, Shizune showed up with Tonton in her arms.

"Yes, Lady Tusnade?" She looked a bit frazzled, I bet she's been really busy after Pein (well, Nagato) attacked the village. -. . .Wait. This isn't right!- I brought my thumb to my bottom lip, deep in thought. -Tsunade's supposed to be in a coma! She used up all her chakra to summon Katsuyu, saving everyone in the village. . . This is . . . odd.-

"Go and get a headband for Tonya-san and Mei."

"I'll go and get it right now!" She immediately ran out of the room in an urgent manner, she hated to keep her waiting.

"So, what is it?"

". . . Tsunade-dono, what are you trying to get at?"

Lady Tsunade looked taken aback, I could tell she wasn't expecting me to come out and say that. Eventually she smiled and returned to her usual demeanor. "What do you mean? I don't follow."

At this point, I was pissed. What the hell was she doing, trying to act ignorant? "You know exactly what I'm saying. What are you trying to get out of us? I know you're not just keeping us here because you like us; you must want something."

Tsunade kept quiet for a few seconds, mulling over what to say. Eventually, she stood up and clapped her hands at me, eyes narrow. "Wow. Just wow. I guess you're smarter than I thought."

". . ." I kept silent and let her continue, resisting the urge to cuss her out.

"But I guess you're not smart enough. You should have said "I know what you want and I'll tell you everything because I want to stay here." but no, you've messed up. Big time."

"So tell me. How, exactly, have I "messed up"? And what do I have an obligation to tell you? I can't think of anything." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot; I was getting impatient.

Her smile faded as she slowly walked toward me, body slightly swaying. She bent down and brought her face in front of mine, still frowning. "No, you WILL tell me what I want." She tilted up my chin, looking me straight in the eyes. "Tell me secrets, tell me names, tell me the future, and tell me every single thing I want to know. Or," She flicked her fingers off of my chin, scratching it. "You'll face the consequences."

'You bitch.' I almost spat in her face right then and there, but I contained myself.

She only narrowed her eyes and kept her face where it was. "What did you say? I'll give you a quick tip as a gift, from me to you. Do not. I repeat, DO NOT, speak that strange language in front of me again."

I smirked, gaze unwavering. 'Alright. Whatever you say, bitch.'

Tsunade raised her hand, preparing to strike me across the face. Luckily, Gaara's sand prevented that; it shot up from his gourd and held back her hand. "Don't, Hokage."

Eventually, Tsunade sighed and then relaxed; in response, Gaara's sand retracted. "Oh, you're on her side, now? She must be precious to you, Kazekage~." Without waiting for a response from either of us, she continued talking. "So, Tonya. You don't really have a choice."

"Oh, but I do. I don't really have to say anything. Go ahead, kill me. I won't say anything."

Tsunade only laughed, clutching her stomach. "Who said anything about you dying?! Ha! No, you would be tortured physically and mentally until you cracked." I shuddered, partially regretting what I said. "But, I won't do that. I need you sane in order to get information from you. So, I'll cut you a deal."

-Oh no.- I could tell this "deal" would not be good, it was coming from a woman. A woman that loves to gamble, nevertheless. "What does it involve?"

"One of you has to leave the village."

"What?! No! We can't be separated!"

"Yes, you can. Either way, one of you has to leave for security purposes."

"That's ridiculous!" I walk up to her, enraged. "There's no LOGICAL reason for us to be separated."

She smirked and walked even closer to me, talking in a whimsical voice. "Oh, but there is! If one of you is gone, then the threat is cut in half. We can't risk having two pieces of the puzzle in the same place."

". . . What now?"

She walked closer again, closing in on me. "You have two options. Since you had the guts to confront me, I'll have you decide your fate. You have two options. One, you get to stay here and Mei leaves, but you have to agree to tell us everything. Two, Mei stays here and you leave, but she doesn't have to say a word."

"Where do we go if we leave?"

"Anywhere but Konoha."

-Well that's awfully vague.- My mind was on overload, trying to choose the best option for Mei, I didn't want her to be thrust in the middle of this. "You promise you won't make Mei say anything? Give me your word."

At first she was taken aback, surprised at how fast I had made up my mind. "I give you my word, but. . . are you sure that you've made up your mind already?"

"That's all I need to know. I'll go as soon as you say the word. I'd rather save my . . . sister's skin than my own."

Just then, Shizune entered in the doorway, even more frazzled than she was before. "Tsunade-sama! I've found them!" In her hands were two black headbands.

"Give them to her."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" She ran over and hurriedly gave them to me, and I bowed slightly in gratitude. She ran back out and then I turned back to Tsunade in confusion.

"Why are you giving me these? Only Mei needs one." I held them both in one hand and raised my eyebrow.

"I've decided that you should still be a Konoha ninja, but just not allowed to live here; take it as a small gift. You leave in two weeks, no longer. You're dismissed." She walked back to her desk and sat back down. "Gaara-san, you too."

I turned to leave, but then stopped. "Wait. . . Did you tell Gaara about me?!"

Lady Tsunade scoffed, "Well, yeah. But he was the one who asked about you first, so all I did was answer his questions."

I craned my neck to look at Gaara who was, as usual, staring at me. "Um, Gaara-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Because I was interested about what all you know. I was confused by what you said earlier."

-What I said earli- oooooohhhh. That whole "I've always wanted to meet you" spiel.- "Ha. . . hahaha. Were you now?" I looked over at Tsunade for some sort of help (I have no idea why), but all I got was a knowing look and a smirk. -Damn. I'm by myself.-

"Yeah. Actually, I have a proposition for you as well." At this, both me and Tsunade perked up, wondering what the hell he was talking about; he really isn't acting in character. "When it's time for you to leave, come with me to Suna."

_A/N_

A special thank you to all those who take their time to review!


	9. Chapter 9: Practice Makes Perfect

(Tonya POV)

I deadpanned, drawing my lips into a fine line. "You're lying."

"I can assure you I'm not. Come with me to Suna."

"B-but why?!"

"I'll tell you if you go. Goodbye Hokage, Tonya-san." With that (and another whirlwind of sand), he disappeared. I stood there for a minute staring at the space where Gaara previously was, still confused. I looked at Tsunade again, who only shrugged and smiled. Huffing, I finally leave that wretched room, thinking of how to tell Mei that I'd be leaving.

'. . . Where am I?' I was so deep in thought that I got lost and found myself at a dead end; the lights weren't even on. 'What to do, what. . . to. . . do.' I honestly didn't know what to do in this situation, I usually don't get lost.

'-ck and turn left.'

I turn around quickly, shocked. The voice was very light and feminine with certain gentleness to it, almost like a mother's. 'Who's there?'

As soon as I asked the question, the marks on my hands started to hurt. I opened my palms out of a mixture of pain and surprise; it was almost unbearable. Looking down at them, I noticed that a black shadow-like fog was leaking out of my hands.

*BAM! BAM! BAM!*

Completely panicking, I slam my hands against the concrete walls, trying really hard to stop the substance from coming out from my hands. Instead of stopping, the substance came out in larger volumes, completely blocking my vision.

'Please stop hurting yourself!' I didn't completely stop at first, I just softened the hits it until my hands were resting on the wall. 'Tonya. Behind you.' I almost didn't, simply because I was scared. 'Please turn around, I won't hurt you.' The voice was sincere, so I decided to trust it; I was at my wit's end. When I gathered enough courage to turn around, I only saw pure darkness. Gradually, the shadow figure I saw before materialized in front of me. 'Please don't be scared.'

I shrink as far back as I possibly can, absolutely terrified. 'G-go away!'

The figure made a motion as if were sighing, and then started moving towards me. I tried to sink back even more, but it was of no use; I was as far away from that thing that I would get. It stopped about a meter from me and extended its pitch black hand toward me, its ridiculously long claws inches from my face. 'Tonya. . . I am your guardian spirit, Unmei no Yoru.'

(Mei POV)

I ran down the dirt road with Rekka at my heels, extremely motivated to start my training. -Well, if that person agrees to teach me.- I giggled and then ran faster, I wanted to get there as fast as I could.

(3rd POV)

*knock knock*

Yamato looked up from his book to glance at the door in confusion; there isn't anyone he could think of that would need to visit him. He took his time getting up, which agitated the person at the door.

*BANG BANG*

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Yamato himself was getting agitated, mostly because of the impatience of his visitor. He threw open the door, more than ready to yell at whoever was at the front door.

"Hiya Yamato!" Mei removed her hand from midair (she was about to bang on the door again) and quickly placed it behind her back, waving with her other hand sheepishly.

Yamato sighed while smiling and slightly shaking his head, amused. "What can I help you with, Mei?"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Uhh. . . What about him?"

"I need to know where he is so I can ask him to teach me!" She thrust both fists in the air for emphasis, but it only added to Yamato's confusion.

"To teach you what, exactly? He's going to be busy for the next few days, so it'll be close to impossible to even talk to him. . . Ah! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" He began to randomly flail his arms at the sight of tears welling up in Mei's eyes, he didn't know what to do in these situations. "I know! How about I train you until Kakashi is available?!"

Mei instantly perked up at this, clearly interested. "You'd do that, Yamato?"

Yamato was still nervous, he scratching the back of his head with his mouth twitching slightly. "Y-yeah. But." He held his finger out and pointed to Mei, frowning. "You have to address me as Yamato-SENSEI from now on if you want me to teach you."

"Agreed!"

He smiled and then placed his hand on Mei's shoulder. "Let me just get a few things, I'll be right out."

The two walked to a forested area, that was familiar to Mei, to train. "Uh, Yamato-sensei?"

"Yyeeesss?"

"Can we, uh, go somewhere else for our training? I don't really have the best memories here." She held her arms and shuddered, remembering the green jumpsuit that was offered to her.

Yamato looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"It was Rock Lee and Guy-sensei. . ."

Yamato immediately held up his hands to stop her, immediately piecing together what had happened. "Enough said. Don't worry, I'll go and tell them to leave of they show up. But you do know that they can actually help you with your training, right?"

Mei looked at Yamato with a disgusted look on her face. "There's no way IN HELL I'm going to go that low. I just need help with my chakra, nothing more."

"Oh! That's all that you wanted? That'll be easy enough."

"Really?!"

Yamato chuckled, "Of course!"

Mei wiped her eyebrow and pretended to fling sweat off. "Great, because I have no idea how to mold it!" She finished her statement with a half-hearted laugh, glad that it would be easy.

"So, you're telling me that you don't know how to mold or manipulate chakra yet? Do you even know your chakra type?" Yamato spoke quietly, not believing what he just heard.

"Well. . . Yeah! They don't have chakra where I come from, you know!" She hung her thumbs from her pockets, slightly annoyed.

Yamato pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting what he got himself into. "Okay. Let's get started then, I guess." He let go of his nose and made his way over to Mei, holding out a piece of paper. "Just touch it and try to put some of your chakra into it." Mei did what she was told; she grabbed it between her thumb and index finger and concentrated hard. After a few seconds, the paper lit on fire and turned to ashes, falling onto the grass. Mei gave Yamato an excited and surprised look that almost looked like a child's. "Perfect! You have the fire chakra type."

"BOOYAH!" Mei started to randomly dance again, but this time she stopped after a good seven minutes.

"*cough* "Yamato cleared his throat to try to get her attention, which thankfully worked. "Are you done yet?"

Mei coughed as well, trying to clear the awkwardness. "Uh, yeah. I was just excited."

"Just don't do that every time you are excited, alright? We have too much stuff to do." Yamato crossed his arms and looked at Mei, who was looking at the ground in disappointment. "So. Since you have the fire chakra type, do you know your strengths and weaknesses?" Mei only shook her head, so Yamato continued. "If you use your fire techniques, it will be naturally strong against wind but naturally weak against water."

"So I'll be stronger than Naruto?!" Mei bounced up and down, excited that she'll finally be able to train.

"Partly. For example, if you fought him right now, you would undoubtedly lose. The damage your chakra makes depends on the strength of the user. If you ever get to the same level as him or stronger, then you would probably win."

"Ooohhhh. Okay. So, how do I make those awesome jutsus? Can I start actually doing something now?!"

Yamato sighed, "You need to learn how to control your chakra before you start learning jutsu, Mei."

"Fine! C'mon, tell me what to do then!"

Yamato sighed again and then gestured for her to follow him. They walked about one hundred meters to a nearby stream, which was at least fifty feet wide. Yamato used the water-walking technique to walk to the middle of the river, and then turned to face Mei. "Direct your chakra to your feet."

"Okaayyyy." She focused her energy into her feet as best as she could, but only a thin layer of chakra surfaced on her sandals. "Yamato-sensei! There isn't enough chakra on my feet!"

"Don't worry about that now! Just walk!"

"Whatever you say, SENSEEII." Mei made fun of Yamato by emphasizing on "sensei", she was really getting tired of him. She walked up to the water's edge and gingerly placed a foot down on the surface of the water, trying to get an idea of what she was getting herself into. "Woah!" She didn't fall through, but rather she slipped on top of the water. She broke her fall with her other foot, but that foot fell into the water; this propelled her forward. Plunging into the water, she resurfaced seconds later, gasping for breath and swimming back to the bank.

"Concentrate and try again, Mei."

Sighing, she got up and tried again.

About forty-seven tries later, she finally made it to Yamato without any difficulties. She jumped up and gave him a high five, the two of them smiling like idiots. "Good job, Mei!"

"Hell yeah!" Mei started to dance again, but she stopped herself this time; she needed all the time she could get. "So what do I do next?!"

Yamato smiled again, "You're going to try a justu! But don't get too excited, you'll still have to do the chakra control exercises." Mei groaned but still looked somewhat excited, so she forgave him.

"Are we just going to practice here?" She pointed both of her fingers downward at the body of water beneath her feet.

"Yeah. You'll have to perform jutsu and walk on water in some circumstances, so the earlier you practice the better."

"Fiiiinneee. So what do I do?"

"Okay. Follow my movements. At first I'll go slow, but I'll pick up pace once I see that you got it down. Ready?" Mei nodded her head, so Yamato continued. "Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger."

"Like this?" Mei copied the hand signs, but slightly sloppily.

"You have the general idea, but you need to execute it better. Make them tighter and more rigid, but make the signs flow as well. See what I mean?"

"I think so. . . " She stuck her tongue out of her mouth while she concentrated on making her signs, trying to get them perfect. Eventually she got it, and then looked back at Yamato for further instructions.

"Perfect. Now make those signs and then say Gōgakyu no Jutsu while taking a nice, deep breath. Then breathe out as hard as you can."

Mei turned away from Yamato and did as she was told, being sure to "let the signs flow". "Gōgokyu no jutsu!" She breathed in as much as she could and breathed out, curious of what would happen. A giant spew of fire came out of her mouth, forming a fireball that was twice as large as her head. When the fire disappeared, she looked back at Yamato expectantly.

"You've done well, but you still need more practice; the fireball wasn't as big as it was supposed to be." He looked up at the sky, suddenly realizing how late it was; the sun was setting. "Let's stop for today. Goodnight, Mei."

"Thank you Yamato-sensei!" She smiled and Yamato disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. 'Reminder: ask Yamato how to do that.' She talked to herself, frustrated that she hadn't asked him earlier. She looked beneath her, silently studying the flow of the water and the fish. She stayed like that until Rekka trotted over to get her attention.

'Come on, Mei. Let's go home already, I'm getting tired.' Rekka rubbed the sleepiness out of his eye with his paw, yawning slightly.

'No, you go ahead; I'm going to stay here a little longer to practice.' Without looking to see if he had left or not, Mei turned and started to practice the jutsu again, trying to get it perfect.


	10. Chapter 10: Understanding

(Mei POV)

I practiced until the sun completely went down; I wanted to squeeze in every last second I could possibly get. "Rekka. . . Let's go home."

"Finally! I was starting to get worried." He trotted over to my place on the water (I stood on the river the entire time) and scooped me up on his back with his head. "Let's go get some sleep." I weakly nodded and let myself drift off to sleep, completely exhausted.

(Tonya POV)

I stumbled pretty much the entire way home, with the occasional help from Unmei in her black fog form. The two of us had somewhat bonded in the six hours she had spent explaining to me what she was. Apparently, she was a "guardian spirit" that was originally part of the ten-tails; specifically, one of the claws. She was the only part of the ten-tails that had escaped, but she was also cleansed by the Sage of Six Paths. No one else knew, except for me and Unmei (of course); we couldn't risk anyone coming after us.

Not only that, but I found out that she was the reason we were here in the first place. She wouldn't tell me exactly how, but she said she would tell me soon enough. I asked her about the storyline change, and she said it was her doing; she saved Lady Tsunade. I told her to fix it IMMEDIATELY, we couldn't risk the story to change any longer; Danzo (no matter how much I hate him) needed to be the sixth Hokage.

I ALSO learned that Unmei was permanent part of my body and mind, thus making torture useless. But, this useful perk also came with a deadly consequence; every time I used it, it took time off of my lifespan. The shadow-leaking thing was also becoming somewhat normal; we had practiced a couple times, so I wouldn't be as freaked out when it did happen. _'Tonya?'_

_'Yeah, Unmei?'_ I didn't turn to where the voice was coming from; I knew the voice was only in my head.

_'How are you going to tell them? I mean. . . about us?'_

I held back a laugh with my hand, trying hard not to look crazy; I didn't want people to think I laughed for no reason. _'About us? Haha, you make it seem like we're in a relationship or something!'_ Unmei only huffed in response, and resumed the silence we previously had.

The next morning I got up as usual and decided to wash my clothes; they were getting disgusting. I grabbed a pair of black (ninja?) capris and a loose white tee crop top. I tied one of the Konoha headbands around my neck and put my sandals on, pulling the fabric out of my ponytail afterwards. I exited my room while shaking my hair to loosen it, my wavy hair falling past my shoulders. Carrying my hoodie, cami, and jeans, I walk down the hall to Mei's room and knock on the door; I wanted to respect her privacy. Seconds later, the door opened and I saw Mei still sleeping on the bed, snoring away. I blinked, surprised that the door had opened by itself (and the fact that I was up before she was). 'Ah, it's Rekka.'

At the mention of his name, Unmei woke up inside me and started to yawn. 'Good Morning, Tonya. . . Oh, Rekka-san's here as well.' The black fog began to leak out of my palms again, and Unmei materialized beside me, slouching down lower than usual. 'Nice to see you again, Rekka-san.' His mouth (snout?) dropped, adding to my confusion. 'Oh yes. I've formally introduced myself to Tonya, and she's accepted me for the most part.' Now it was my turn to look at her incredulously; she could talk to the cat too?!

'Unmei, you can talk to cats?!'

She chuckled and turned her black head toward me, moving her shoulders ever so slowly. 'No Tonya, Rekka is the same as me. He's Mei's spirit.'

At first I was shocked, but then everything made sense. That was how Mei and Rekka "talked", they were connected almost like Unmei and I. 'How come I can't hear him?'

'Because he's not yours. But when I'm not materialized, you can hear what they're saying as long as I allow it.' I kept quiet and just looked at her, not knowing what to say. I pushed past her and Rekka into Mei's room, making my way toward her bed.

'Mei! Get your ass up already!' Her eyes immediately shot open, locking with mine. 'Seriously, how do you do that?!' I stumbled and fell on my butt, not expecting for her to wake up that quickly.

'Hahaha!' Mei grabbed the sheets on her lap and flung them off, swinging her legs to the side of the bed. 'Because I love mornings! You'll probably never understand.' She stood and stretched like she did every morning, smiling and energetic. She wore the exact same thing she wore yesterday and her hair was a total mess, the whole braid was frizzy.

'Mei, I need your clothes so I can wash them. Get ready and meet me in the kitchen when you're done, understand? I got a headband for you, too.' Mei sighed but nodded, then turned to her dresser to get some clothes to change into. She grabbed a pair of tight navy blue pants and the black V-neck she wore the first day she got here. I grabbed the clothes she discarded on the floor and headed over to the back door, dumping them as soon as I reached it. I jogged back to my room to grab the headband Tsunade gave me, throwing it in Mei's room when I passed it on the way back. I grabbed the clothes by the back door and unlocked it, jogging into the woods to find a stream to wash our clothes in.

(Mei POV)

I happily changed into my pants, shirt, and sandals, still surprised that Tonya woke up before I did. I took my hair out of its messy braid and put it up into a loose bun instead. I tied my forehead protector around my head like Sakura's and then rifled through the stuff on my floor to find my weapon pouch. While I was searching, I heard bits and pieces of Rekka's conversation that I thought he was having with himself, until I looked over.

I finally saw Unmei no Yoru, the monster that sent us here in the first place. 'YOU! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!' I pointed at it from my place on the floor, extremely confused as to why Rekka was acting friendly with it.

Rekka held up one of his paws to quiet me, which I obeyed. 'Mei, it's alright; She and Tonya are on . . . somewhat good terms now.' I looked at Unmei weirdly, not buying it. 'It's true, Mei.'

Eventually I gave in and resumed my search, silently cursing Unmei. 'I can't believe this. . .' I found my pouch under my bed, along with other mysterious things that I didn't dare touch. I attached it to the back of my pants and then walked to my window to open the curtains.

'WHAT?! SHE'S LEAVING?!' I turned to see Rekka snarling at Unmei, who seemingly had no reaction.

'What's wrong?'

Rekka looked at me sadly, and paused before he finally spoke up. 'Mei. . . In two weeks, Tonya has to leave Konohagakure. She's even gotten an offer from the Kazekage himself to go to Suna.'

'No she doesn't. That's a lie.'

'I'm sorry, but it's the truth.'

Without thinking, I run all through the house to try to find that fool; I needed to hear it from her. Seeing that the back door was left open, I run as fast as I possibly could out the door and into the forest, calling her name the whole time. 'TONYAA~! TONYAAAAA~!' About the seventh time that I called her name, she heard me; she yelled that she was near the stream, so I followed the sound of water until I found her. She was looking straight at me, pausing from washing our clothes.

'Whaddoya want?' She raised an eyebrow at me while drying her hands on her pants.

'Is it true that you're leaving?!' I stood there and balled my fists, eyes watering.

'Mei, I'm so sorry; Lady Tsunade is making me leave." I didn't say a word, but instead ran to her and enveloped her in a hug. She returned it, and we spent a good amount of time sitting there, crying our eyes out.

When we both finally calmed down, she scooted over so we both could sit on the rock she was sitting on. We said nothing for a while, just enjoying each others' company. 'Mei?'

'Yeah?'

'Are you mad?'

'I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at that old hag. I just can't believe you have to leave, though; I mean, we JUST got here.' I started to pick up rocks and throw them into the river, watching each of them sink.

Tonya looked thoughtfully at the water for a few moments, sinking in my words. 'I don't think we'll be completely separated, though.' I looked at Tonya with an incredulous look on my face but said nothing; I knew she was itching to continue. 'You know I have the power to transport things, you've seen that before.' I nodded, 'So I'm going to talk to Unmei, I bet she knows how to transport actual people.'

'So you can probably transport yourself?'

She held out a fist for me to pound and smiled, fully showing her teeth. 'You got it, bro.' I smiled and did the same, then got up and stretched; my body was still a little sore from yesterday. 'Oh yeah, and I have a little project that we have to do before I leave.'

'What's that?'

'Our clan sign! Now go away, these clothes won't wash themselves.' I smiled and calmly walked away, ready to start my day the right way.

I sat on the couch and waited for Tonya to come in, swinging my legs and playing with the kunai I found on one of the shelves. Tonya showed up ten minutes later, arms dripping and carrying the freshly-washed clothes. She hung them up on the clothes line and slid open the door, into the living room while drying her hands on a towel. 'Yamato left us some money the other day, so do you wanna go out and get some breakfast?'

'Sure!' I put the kunai down and started to walk to the front door, but Tonya stopped me.

'Wait a minute. GUYS! WE'RE LEAVING!' At Tonya's voice, Rekka trotted into the living room, Unmei gliding behind him. Unmei glided up to Tonya and then turned into a black smoke; it went into Tonya's palms as if they were sucking it up. Both Rekka and I just looked at her, amazed. She turned and smiled as soon as the last of the fog entered her hands. 'Shall we go now?'

(Tonya POV)

We strolled through the streets of the shopping district, trying to find a good place that serves actual BREAKFAST FOOD. We stopped at fourteen different food stalls, but each one was a dud. 'Should we just go home and fix it ourselves? I mean, if we're spending so much time searching for a place to eat. . .' I was beginning to lose hope, I forgot the fact that this place pretty much only had Japanese food.

'NO!' Mei stepped on a random nearby boulder (I swear it wasn't there earlier), posing with her finger pointing upward. 'WE WILL FIND A PLACE TO EAT, EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!'

-Cue the dramatic waves in the background.- 'You freaking weirdo.' I ignored her and continued walking, peeking into restaurants ever so often. Mei huffed and trotted up to me, arms crossed in fake anger.

'You didn't have to be so rude, Tonya!' She punched me hard in my side, then ran to hide behind Rekka while snickering. I turned to beat her up, but hesitated; I didn't want to spend the rest of my time hitting her, I just wanted to spend some nice quality time together.

'I WOULD hit you, you little bitch.' She peeked from around Rekka, both eyebrows raised in surprise. 'But I'm not. Be grateful, punk!' I punched my hand and snarled playfully for emphasis, and then continued to walk.

She ran up so that she was in front of me, bun flopping as she moved. 'Why thank you, your highness!' She bowed then cheekily smiled, running away once she was done. I said nothing but still followed her, Rekka by my side. As we were running through the streets, I spotted a brief flash of bright orange and immediately recognized who it was.

'Mei, hold up!' She slid to a stop to look at me expectantly, arms still bent in midair.

'What, you getting tired or something? Wuss.' I walked over and smacked her upside the head; she really deserved that one.

'I just saw someone who can help us with our little problem!' I smiled and pointed in Naruto's direction, extremely happy.

'Ah!' She put her hand up to shield her eyes, squinting to make out the face. 'Naruto! . . . But why is he going in the direction of our house?'

I looked over to see what she was talking about, then widened my eyes. 'Damn, he is. NARUTOO~!' I cupped my hands over my mouth to let my voice carry further, the background noise was annoyingly loud. Miraculously, he turned and spotted us (along with almost every other person in the street).

He waved and started to run toward us, smiling his trademark grin. Waving at Naruto, Mei walked up so that she was by my side. 'Awwwww! Toni!'

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye but kept smiling and waving. 'What's your problem now?'

'He lliikkeeesss yyoouuu~!' She made a kissy face at me, so I smacked her on the mouth. She grumbled and glared at me, sulking and leaning on Rekka.

"Hey Tonya-chan!" He stopped in front of me and scratched his head; he was actually pretty adorable. Mei cleared her throat and looked at him expectantly from her place next to Rekka, now directing her glare at Naruto. "Sorry, sorry! Hello to you too, Mei-san!"

She said a very quiet 'Damn straight, you motherfucking kid.' and crossed her arms, looking in the other direction.

Naruto leaned down to my height and pointed towards himself, whispering. "Is she talking about me? Is it bad?"

I put on my best poker face and waved it off like it was nothing. "Nah, don't worry 'bout it!" He looked relieved and straightened himself out, "What were you doing anyway?"

He looked down at me and blinked, trying to formulate an answer. "I, uh, wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with me today!"

Mei threw her hands up and started to pace, becoming impatient. 'Calm yo ass down, Mei!' I turned back to Naruto, "I'd love to!" Naruto turned around and started to fist pump, clearly over excited. "In fact, we were trying to find a place to go and eat; we haven't had breakfast yet." -I really hope he doesn't say Ichiraku ramen. . .-

"Oh, let's just go to Ichiraku Ramen! They have the best ramen ever!" He gave me a thumbs up to prove his enthusiasm, which really wasn't needed. I facepalmed, which made Mei break out in laughter; she was grabbing Rekka to support her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're fine, Naruto-san. She's just an idiot." I rub my temples, feeling the start of a migraine. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah! But I want to ask you something. . . If you don't mind, of course!"

"Fire away. I don't really care, man." He started to walk, so I motioned to the two behind us to follow. "What is it?"

He looked at me and then the ground, then finally spoke up. "What did you talk to Granny Tsunade about?" He looked at me expectantly, which quite frankly made me uncomfortable.

"Er. . . It's kind of a long story, but I guess you need to know, because it involves both me and your friend Gaara." Naruto raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything: I took that as my cue to start.

_A/N_

Now I have to think of a symbol for their clan. . . *sighs* ANYWAY! Thanks for reading/please review/no flames!


	11. Chapter 11: Accident

(Tonya POV)

By the time we reached Ichiraku, Naruto was furious. He was completely silent, which was very unlike him. "Naruto, are you sure you're okay?" I leaned forward so that I could see his face; I really don't think I should have told him.

"-s not fair. . ." Naruto kept his head down and mumbled, his eyes covered by shadows.

"What did you say?" I kept my head where it was, cupping my ear to hear him better.

"-s not fair!" He was still mumbling.

"Haaah?! What did you say?!" Mei showed up from nowhere and poked Naruto repeatedly, trying to get a reaction out of him.

"I SAID IT'S NOT FAIR!" He snapped his head up, throwing Mei and I off balance. I landed safely on Rekka, but Mei was not as fortunate; she tripped and grabbed onto the closest thing to hold her up. Sadly, the thing that she latched on to was Naruto's pants.

From my (safe) place on Rekka's side, I watched the events unfold in slow motion; it was actually quite amusing. As soon as her hands grabbed onto Naruto's pants, all of our eyes opened wide, waiting for the catastrophe to happen. Both Rekka and I stayed where we were and simply observed, neither of us moving; I only brought both of my hands to my mouth, which was open wide. Mei let out a slow and deep-pitched "Nnoooooooo!" as she fell, mouth in a perfect "O" shape. Naruto did the same thing as Mei, but instead turned towards me to try and escape. But because his backside was now to Mei, her face had nowhere else to go other than his rear end.

His orange pants were now all the way down, showing his pink plaid boxers. Before Mei could make a smart comment, her face was smashed right in the middle of his posterior. Naruto let out a weird gurgling sound as Mei's face slid down to the ground, completely creeped out. No one really knew what to do at that point, so everyone was frozen in their place; this is, until Mei scraped herself off the ground. "Mei, are you, uh. . . alright?" I tried to choose my words verrryyyy carefully, I want to make her any more angry than she already was.

She made her way towards me, arms swinging and head facing the ground; I could tell that she was really disturbed. She stopped when she was right by my side, putting her hand on my shoulder and smiling sickly. 'You don't have to worry anymore, it's not as flat as it looks. . . It jiggled.' After she finished her last sentence, she suddenly put a hand over her mouth and ran over to the wooden fence, her face turning a light shade of green. I turned away from her general direction out of disgust, holding my own mouth as well to try to hold back a laugh.

"What did she say to make her throw up?" Naruto was right in front of me, pants still down by his ankles. I didn't answer him at first, I just awkwardly looked away and coughed, gesturing to his boxers. Eventually, he got the message and yanked his pants up, blushing like mad. "So what did she say?!"

"You really don't wanna know, Naruto-san." I brought my hand to my face, too embarrassed to say anything else.

He mumbled an "Okay. . ." and looked at the ground, also embarrassed. This continued on for a good amount of time until Mei recovered from her nausea. "Let's just pretend that never happened, understood?" Naruto, Rekka, and I nodded slowly, still freaked out from earlier. "So let's just. . . order our ramen." We all nodded and sat down on the barstools (except for Rekka), suddenly depressed.

"So, Naruto." I tried to resume the conversation we had before the "incident"; I wanted to erase that from my mind as soon as possible. He looked at me with a smile on his face after he finished ordering, mood suddenly improved. "What were you going to- Oh, I'll have a bowl of chicken ramen and a glass of water if you have any. You don't? Oh, that's fine, thank you very much! As I was saying, what were you going to say?"

His smile vanished, suddenly becoming serious. "It's not fair that you have to leave, Tonya-chan; I really don't want you to go! I'd rather have her leave." He glanced over my shoulder to look at Mei, who was totally oblivious that we were talking about her.

"Don't say that EVER again, Naruto." I glared at him, not even caring that I didn't use honorifics when saying his name. "If you really cared, you would respect my decision." I spun around to the front where my freshly made bowl of ramen was waiting. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Naruto sheepishly handing me a pair of chopsticks; I snatched them away from him and roughly pulled them apart, scaring both Naruto and the old man.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for saying that, I'm just-" He stopped, and I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my face. "Look at me."

"No. I'm busy."

". . .You're busy?" He crossed his arms, beginning to get impatient; I didn't care, he was the one being rude, not me.

"Eating, Naruto. I'm busy eating. I advise you to start as well, your ramen will get cold." I gestured to the seven bowls of ramen in front of him and continued to eat, trying my best to ignore him. -I can't believe I'm telling Naruto to freaking eat his ramen.- I rolled my eyes and just ate, still ignoring him.

"No, I won't stop. Hear me out Tonya-chan, please." I waited a few seconds before turning to look at Naruto, whose face was now worried.

"Why should I listen to you? I mean, nothing's going to change; what's done is done, dude."

"I just wanted to apologise, can I at least do that?!" I widened my eyes in surprise but said nothing; I was chewing.

Mei looked over from her spot beside me, suddenly interested by Naruto's loud voice. "A lover's quarrel, perhaps?" We both sent a glare her way before returning to our conversation. She shrugged in response and then resumed feeding Rekka her ramen.

"Tonya, I just wanted to apologise for what I said. I shouldn't have gone that far." He nervously put a hand on my arm, trying to stop me from eating. "But I just wanted you to know that I'll miss you!

I really care about you, so. . . " He trailed off but still kept his hand on my arm, perhaps for reassurance. I smiled gently and placed my hand over his, trying to make him feel better.

"Apology accepted." Managing to brush of his hand from my arm, I finished my bowl of ramen and then quickly stood up; I really didn't want to be near him right now. "Oi. Mei, let's go." I reached into my pocket and pulled out some change to pay for our food, including Naruto's.

"Awight!" She slurped down the broth from her beef ramen and stood up quickly, full and ready to go.

Forgetting his ramen, Naruto shot up from his seat and flailed his arms around, trying to get me to stay, "B-but I thought you agreed to spend the day with me?!" I stared at him for a few moments, thinking back to when I first talked to him this morning.

"Aw, man. You just had to say that, didn't you?"

'Hush, fool!' Honestly, I really didn't want to be near Naruto right now; I was a little conflicted. He was getting a little too. . . comfortable. . . with me, if you know what I mean. I don't know if he likes me or not, but we simply can't be together; I'm a complete HinaNaru fan, it just wouldn't work out. "You know what, fine. I already said I would hang out with you, so I will, as long as Mei comes with us."

Naruto smiled again and finished his ramen, thanking the old man for the food. "Shall we go?"

Mei and I sighed, already knowing that something bad was going to happen.

The three of us followed Naruto as he jogged, stating that he "can't wait for us to meet them" the entire way there. About halfway in, we grew tired of having to keep up with him; we climbed on Rekka's back (despite many protests) and let him do all the work. "Guys, we're here!" We finally arrived at. . . wherever he's taken us, I'm not really sure; It's just an open field next to a shallow stream.

'Yah, get up you idiot.' I nudged Mei off of his back, sending her flying to the ground. The fool had fallen asleep ON A CAT'S BACK in a record time of two minutes; I still don't understand how she just wakes up and falls asleep like that.

She landed on her feet just before she hit the ground, glaring at me once she straightened out. 'Bitch! How can you just drop a half-asleep person like that?!' She gave me the middle finger and started to walk, clearly unamused. "So, why are we here?" She placed her hands on her hips and kept her tone pretty much monotone, impatient as ever.

"They were supposed to be here. . . They usually train right. . . here." He peered off into the distance, hoping to see whoever he was looking for.

Bored, I cross my legs on top of Rekka and take out my iPod, getting impatient as well. I held down the power button and waited for it to turn on, whistling in the meantime. 'Toni!' Looking up from the iPod, I see Mei slowly walking back towards us.

'Yeh?'

'Where the hell did you get that from?! That's no fair, and you know it.'

I flipped my hair dramatically to piss her off, 'I just came prepared, peasant.'

To my extreme amusement, I succeeded in pissing her off. 'BITCH! You ain't prepared, you just carry too much shit around; you know I don't usually carry stuff 'round. . . So gimme.' She held out her hand with one eye closed, like she actually expected me to just hand it over. Instead, I closed my eyes, put both earbuds in, and hit shuffle; I just ignore her in these situations. I felt a tug on my foot, so I cracked open an eye, expecting a super pissed Mei. To my surprise, she wasn't angry at all; she was motioning for me to take one earbud out. Hesitantly I removed one, 'Just let me listen to it sometimes, okay?'

'Uhh. . . yeah, sure. You wanna share?' I rose both my eyebrows, surprised at how bipolar she acted just then.

'Depends. Whatcha listenin' to?'

'Orange Juice by Odd Future. . .'

She held her hands over her hands and started to freak out, clearly disgusted. 'OMIGOSH THAT SONG IS HORRIBLE!' She looked over her shoulder at me and sneered, 'I really can't see how you can listen to that funny-sounding rap bullshit.'

'. . . Excuse me?'

'You heard me, don't act all ignorant.'

'. . .' I didn't say a word, I just jumped off Rekka's back and made my way toward her, fist clenched and ready.

'You already know that Jrock is better, dude. Now what? Whatcha gonna do, punk?'

Honestly, I didn't want to hit her again; I might actually cause brain damage one day, so I better just talk it out (no matter how much I want to kick her ass). 'Nothing, actually. I don't want to cause anymore damage in that pretty little head of yours.' I pushed her forehead back forcefully with my middle finger, an obvious smirk on my face.

At that point, she was ready to fight. We went back in forth in a heated argument, which was actually quite pointless; we have arguments over music frequently. But honestly, she had some serious nerve, dissing Odd Future like that; she knew that they were one of my absolute favorite groups. After a lot of arm flailing, yelling, and pushing, a person's whose voice I didn't recognize cleared their throat and spoke up. "Um, Mei-san?!"

She quickly turned around and returned with an angry "WHAT?!", but that anger turned from anger to despair once she saw who it was.

_A/N_

Thanks to everyone who reviews! :)

Please review/no flames!


	12. Chapter 12: Emotions

(Tonya Pov)

"NNOOOOOO!" Mei dropped to her knees and cradled her head in her hands. "WHYYY?!" Her face was towards the sky, perhaps hoping that Janshin would answer her prayers.

I stared at her, not really knowing what to do (even though I was kinda sorta enjoying all of this). "Mei-san! What's the matter?!" Looking to my left, I saw just who had caused Mei so much pain (?).

"Ah! Lee-san!" I smiled happily, since he was one of my favorite characters; he was absolutely adorable/hilarious.

He raised his thick eyebrow in confusion. "How do you know my name? Who are you?" I opened my mouth to speak, but the words were stolen right out of my mouth.

"She's obviously that girl's sister that Guy-sensei told us about; this Mei person probably told her about you, Lee. Use your head." He stood on Lee's left, in all his silky-haired glory. Seriously, what conditioner does that guy use?

"They really don't look alike, though." A girl with two hair buns stood on Lee's right, hand to her chin in thought.

"Neji! Lee! Tenten!" Naruto ran to them, smiling like an idiot (being the rather cute idiot he is).

"Naruto!" Lee's face suddenly brightened, happy to see one of his good friends.

"Hello Naruto." Neji gave one of his rare smiles and nodded his head in approval (for no apparent reason). Tenten laughed and greeted Naruto as well, but then turned to us.

"Naruto, who're these girls again?" She pointed at us while looking at him, blatantly curious.

"That's Mei-san!" Mei flinched from her position on the ground, absolutely terrified of Lee.

"And that's Tonya-chan!" Naruto pointed at me, which made me internally flinch; I'm still not liking how friendly he is with me.

"Uhh. . . Nice to meet all of you?" I said that as more of a question, rather than a statement; I was rather concerned. Why did Naruto suddenly want me to meet them?

Tenten and Lee waved with a smile, but Neji only narrowed his eyes and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you, Tonya-san!" Lee smiled and jogged over to me, his bushy eyebrows blowing in the wind (haha no, they weren't). "Aren't you Mei-san's older sister?"

"WHAT." Mei immediately snapped out of her trance, enraged that Lee still thinks of her as a child. "No matter how you look at it, she's younge-" She looked up at me and froze, realizing what she was about to say made no sense.

"What were you about to say, my darling big sis~? I gave her a Cheshire cat smile, eagerly wanting to embarrass her. I grabbed under her arms and yanked her up, holding her up off the ground. "Go on, don't be shy~!" I could tell by the look I was getting from her that I was going too far. She hit my nose as hard as she could with her hard head, making it bleed slightly. "Bitch, that's it." I threw her onto the grass and then swung my foot at her, aiming for her neck. She caught it with her hand and then twisted it, throwing me off my balance; she was already used to me kicking her.

"Mohohoho~! Is that the best you got, LITTLE SIS?!" She threw my foot up into the air, which landed me on the ground. She pounced on me, but I quickly kicked her away with my other foot. This pissed her off even more, and soon we were fighting and rolling on the grass.

"Guys, guys!" Tenten came running over to us, Neji and Naruto in tow. It took all four of them to keep the two of us apart; Naruto was able to stop me by himself, but it took all three of them to stop Mei. She was snarling and kicking at whoever was in range of her short legs, just wanting to fight. I, on the other hand, had calmed down minutes ago.

"LET ME GO, YOU FUCKING FREAKS!" She continued to thrash and curse, not even close to calming down. Eventually, I sighed and decided it was time for her to calm down.

"Guys, let her go."

Lee looked at me with an incredulous expression; at this point, he probably thought I was insane. I should really work on my first impressions. "Are you- ouch- sure? I mean- mmhhmph- she's kind of-" He didn't get to finish his full thoughts, he was having enough trouble handling Mei. I held out both my hands and gestured for them to hurry up; letting go of her was probably the best option. They looked at each other nervously before finally letting go of her, jumping back a good number of meters for good measure.

I held up my hands, trying to make peace. "Mei, before you attack me. . .let's make a compromise."

". . .I'm listening."

"If it'll calm you down, I promise to cook dinner for you every day until I leave. Whatever you want." I emphasized on the whatever part by making a rainbow-like motion with my hands, trying to make my offer seem better than it actually was.

"Whuh. . .?" Tenten and Neji looked at me with an "are you fucking kidding me?" look on their face, their eyes twitching.

Mei seemed to be deep in thought, scratching her head with an occasional grunt. "Erm. . .Do you promise to fix me ANYTHING?!" I nodded, "Then DEAL!" She jumped and fist pumped, way too excited for her own good.

The others looked at us in a mixture of confusion and disbelief, not fully comprehending what just happened. They looked at her and then at me, looking for answers. "She loves her food." I shrugged and walked over to her, throwing my arm around her shoulders.

The rest of the day was almost a complete blur. Perhaps it was because of my leaving her, but I definitely noticed more of a change in Mei today; she had frequent mood swings. At first, she'd be her usual funny and optimistic self, but then it would change to violent and defensive. The rest of them didn't actually really notice, rather, they were only freaked out. They'd panic every single time she would switch personalities, not knowing what to do; Neji, Lee, and Naruto especially.

One time in particular, Tenten and I pulled Mei to the side after she had another one of her personality switches; this was about her seventh time. We both asked her what was up once she eventually calmed down, taking extra measures to be cautious. When she finally calmed down, she broke down and cried. I held her and rocked her, trying hard not to cry myself. After a good ten minutes of straight crying, she rubbed her eyes and finally told me what was wrong: she missed her family.

After she got that off her chest and let the majority of her emotions out, her mood swings had almost completely stopped. She isn't used to being this far from home (another dimension? I mean, come on.), so she got a little rest of the day went smoothly; we all spent the day doing not really doing much. To my extreme relief, the others seemed to accept the two of us without any problems. Well, except for Lee and Mei; she really doesn't like him.

In fact, we all hit it off so well that Mei invited them (except for Lee; I made her invite him) to our house.

"Toni! Can you get the tea set from the cupboard?" Mei ran into the house first and into the living room, setting up the sitting cushions.

"What are you, my mom?!" I yelled and rolled my eyes, but complied with her request. I walked in the front of our group in between Lee and Naruto, taking my time as we walked.

"So NOW she acts like an older sister, huh?" I looked over at Lee, who was looking ahead while chuckling at himself, clearly amused.

"Weird, isn't it?" I laughed as well, shaking my head. Naruto opened the gate and let me in first, then followed close behind me before Lee could get in. "What kind of tea do you guys want? Green?"

"Doesn't matter!" Naruto smiled and jogged to keep up with my fast walking pace.

"Anything's fine!" Tenten yelled from her spot just outside the gate, waiting for Neji to catch up with her. "Come on, Neji! You're so slow. . ."

"Come, come! Sit, sit!" Mei patted the cushions she just set on the floor, too excited for her own good. Everyone filed in one after another and sat down, while I made my way into the kitchen. I brought down the metal red and dark bronze teapot with the matching cups, mentally noting to thank Yamato. AGAIN.

"Do you need any help?" Lee popped his head into the kitchen, "Anything I can bring in?"

"Naw, not yet. I'm just getting started. Just relax, Lee." He smiled and then disappeared, leaving me by myself.

"Tonya-chan!" I spoke too late. Naruto ran up until he was right next to me, panting slightly. "Do you need any help?"

"No, Naruto, it's fine. Lee's already asked me." I didn't look at him as I spoke, I was too immersed in my work.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!" I stopped measuring tea to look up at him, slightly agitated.

He groaned and began to shuffle out of the kitchen, "Fine."

Finally at peace, I placed the teapot and cups on the tray and headed out into the living room, moving slowly so I wouldn't spill anything.

Mei jumped up before Naruto did (which surprised me) and carefully took the tray out of my hands, setting it on the table once she made it back. After the tea was poured and we all settled down, Mei started to engage in conversation right away.

FOUR HOURS OF STRAIGHT TALKING.

About twenty minutes into the conversation, I was done; I can only take so much. Looking around, I saw that everyone was fixated on Mizuki as she spoke (loudly). Taking this as my chance to slip away, I grab my cup and slowly scooted away from the table.

"Tonya-chan! Where are you going?" Naruto looked at me from his position on the floor, ready to get up at any moment.

"Getting some water. . ." I mumbled and quickly got up and walked away, wanting to get away as fast as possible. Once I was out of sight, I stayed still for a moment; I had to make sure that no one was following me.

I set my cup in the sink and looked around the kitchen, trying to find a way to slip out undetected; I know Mei would kill me if she knew I wanted to leave. I pried open the window, slightly swaying to the left. Climbing onto the window sill, I whirl around and look up to judge the distance to the roof; I didn't want to overshoot and end up on the ground. Judging it was too high (nah, I was just too lazy) I jumped down instead. Hitting the ground with an "Oof", I fell on the ground and stayed there for a while to wait off the pain.

'You have to get up sometime, Tonya.' A familiar voice resonating in my head, I knew that Unmei had finally woken up.

'Yeah, yeah, sure.' I got up and dusted myself off, already exhausted. 'You think you could help me out?'

'With what?'

'Getting me to where I want to go.'

She stayed silent for a brief period, 'You want me to transport you?'

I started to walk, randomly moving my hands. 'That's right-o!'

'You do know that each time I do that it costs you time off your life, right?' The pitch-black smoke started to inch out of my palms again, only to float around my head.

'. . . I know. Just do it.'

'Understood. But I still need to tell you how it works.' She lingered by my face for for a while, 'You cannot specifically tell me where you want to transport to. . . Rather, I will transport where your heart wants to go.'

I waved my hand in the cloud to disperse it, but it quickly regrouped. 'What kind of crap is that? If I have to give up part of my life for this shit, why don't I get to choose?' I waved my hands dramatically in the air; I was getting really frustrated with her. 'And what's with that whole "where my heart wants to go" thing? This isn't some damn fairy tale.'

'But that's the only thing I'm allowed to do, Tonya. I'm sorry.'

I sighed defeatedly, not wanting to argue. 'Alright. I underst- . . . Wait. Why can't I just use the body flicker technique?' I leered at the cloud out of the corner of my eye and crossed my arms.

'The body flicker technique can't be used over long distances, nor can it be used without chakra. My transportation requires no chakra.'

'It just requires my life force.' I added a mocking tone to my voice and made a funny face, really wanting to annoy her.

'Do you want me to do it or not?'

I sighed and scratched the back of my head, 'I guess so.' Honestly, I really wanted to try this thing out; it seemed interesting enough.

'Do you accept?' The cloud hovered over so it was a few inches from my face.

'I accept. . .?' The cloud immediately swelled to more than double its size, and continued to double until it was twice the size of me. 'Uhh. . .Unmei?'

I got no response; instead, the cloud expanded and swallowed me whole.

The next thing I knew, I was on a rooftop that was illuminated by the moonlight. 'Unmei?'

Still no response.

Angry, I grumble under my breath and walk around in a half circle to try and figure out just where the hell she sent me. 'This is where my "heart" sent me? Corny bullshit. . .' I made a motion to start walking again, but stopped. Feeling a presence behind me, I froze on the spot.

"Kitou."

I let out a small "eep", surprised at whose voice I heard. Slowly, I turned around.

". . . Gaara?"

_A/N_

Not really happy with this chapter for some reason. . . Oh well. I'll just work harder on the next one.

Thanks for reading! :)

Also, I've just now noticed this, but if I've said "Janshin" in any of the previous chapters, I meant "Jashin". Just putting that out there.


	13. Chapter 13: By the Light of the Moon

Gaara/Tonya fluff chapter!

* * *

(Tonya POV)

"Why are you here?" He repeated his question and stared at me, arms crossed and face stoic. Adorable, right? In fact, it was so damn adorable that I could only make dying walrus noises.

I shut my mouth but flailed my arms around, trying to formulate some actual human words. "Aghle-umm. . . I- I honestly don't know. . ."

Raising a non-existent eyebrow (poor Gaara), started to walk towards me. "What do you mean?"

I immediately stopped trying to talk and instead held up both of my hands, palms facing Gaara. "Okay. Hold on. Stop right there."

Unsurprisingly, he kept walking toward me with the same facial expression. "Why should I? You're the one on my apartment roof."

I internally beat myself up for being so stupid as to trust Unmei; she'll hear from once I get out from this situation. "Anyway, please sto-" Before I could finish my plea, I looked up only to his face a ruler width apart from my own.

"Why are you here?" Unblinking, he stared right into my eyes.

I threw my head and neck toward the sky, doing anything I could to break the awkward eye contact. "I was, uh. . . trying out a new jutsu! Haha, yeah. . . It kinda just sent me to a random place." I brought my head back down slowly, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. . ."

I could still feel his amazingly soft green eyes on me, unyielding even though I was cowering under him. Eventually, his gaze drifted to our left where the full moon was shining in all its fantastic glory. Slowly walking to the edge of the building, he sits on the ledge and looks back at me before resuming his moon bathing. Pausing, I shuffle to the edge as well and look down at him one last time before carefully sitting down to his left. I stole another glance at him before looking up into the sky. "They're beautiful."

The stars were as clear as day, brilliantly shining in each of their clusters. ". . .What are?" I turned to face him fully, feeling a brief surge of confidence. Without needing to say anything, I point up to the moon and stars with crossing my legs in the process; I never feel comfortable unless my legs are crossed. We both fell quiet, enjoying each others' company as well as the astral bodies'. Gaara broke the brief silence and started to talk very quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you hate me too?"

I whipped my head around at him, shocked to be asked that question. Actually, I whipped my head around so fast my neck cracked. 'Fuck!' I kept my head down and clutched my neck in pain, too embarrassed to look Gaara in the eye. Politely, he kept quiet and waited for my neck cradling session to be over. "Er, Gaara-sama?"

He looked into my eyes again, "Yes?"

"Why do you think I hate you?" I asked that question very carefully, testing to see if Gaara was alright. I really have no idea why he would ask if I hated him; it's not like I've tried to kill him or anything.

"You can't form a normal thought whenever we're alone. You always look scared."

"Well that's, uh, because. . ." I scratched the back of my head, trying to find an answer that didn't involve how much I was obsesse- I mean, how much I loved him.

"I understand." He looked back at the moon, the gears in his head silently turning.

My bottom lip trembled; I felt terrible for even making him think for a second that I hated him. "Gaara-sama!" His head turned, "I think you're beautiful!"

His eyes widened, "What did you say?" I turned around and literally smacked myself, instantly regretting what I just said.

Making up my mind, I point my hand directly at him and smile. "You're beautiful, Gaara."

He quickly looked away from me and mumbled something I couldn't really make out. It was something along the lines of "What are you walking about?" (I then realized I was an idiot; he had said "What are you talking about?", not "What are you walking about?"

"You're perfect the way you are, Gaara. It's the truth." I was telling the truth; I've always felt this way, even when everyone thought he was just a psychopathic serial killer demon child. He just needed a little love. "Does that answer your question?"

He brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat softly, "Yes."

Another curtain of silence fell upon us, and I took this chance to try something I've always wanted to do. "Gaara-sama?"

". . .Yes?"

"Can I have a hug?"

This time, it was his turn to act surprised. He awkwardly brought his right leg up and set his foot on the edge, bringing his hand up from his lap to rest it on his knee. ". . .Why?"

"To show you how much I don't hate you." I smiled at him, seriously hopeful that he would say yes.

"No. It's not necessary."

I frowned and furrowed my brows, my courage depleted in an instant. "Can I at least ask you a question?" He nodded, "Why do you care if I hate you?"

"I want to be able to "open up" to people like Temari tells me to do; she said it's necessary for a leader to have. . ."

"But why me?"

"Because I think you're easy to talk to. . . other than Naruto."

I almost had a heart attack; was I really on the same level as Naruto?! I grabbed his left hand from his lap and held it in both of my hands, "Are you serious?!"

He tried to snatch his hand away, but failed. "Um, yes."

Letting go of his hands, I threw my hands into the air and took in a deep breath, extremely excited. "That's great!" I smiled up at the sky, thoughtful. "Gaara?" Silence. "Why me?" Silence.

". . .You talked to me as if I were a normal person, even though you know what I am."

I mulled on this for a while, "That's because you are a normal person."

* * *

We sat in silence for the rest of the time we spent there, enjoying the glow of the moon, the brightness of the star, the cool breeze, and each other's company. I could easily say it was the best night of my life. The night was short lived, because he told me to go to bed once I yawned. "I'm used to having no sleep; you aren't, so go to bed."

Standing up, I brush off the bottom of my pants and stare out at the serene buildings. "Hey Gaara?" He was silent, so I took that as a "yes", "I really enjoy it when you talk to me. You're oddly out of character, though."

"How is that?" He slowly stands up as well, looking at the same general area as me.

"You usually don't talk so much. It's kind of weird."

"I just feel more comfortable alone. It feels kind of weird to me, too. . . My vocal chords sometimes hurt." He brought a hand to his throat, eyes cast downward.

I laughed and then gave him a surprise hug, throwing my hands around his waist. Not expecting the sudden skin contact, his sand unconsciously closed around my throat and threw me off of him, sending me to the ground. "Ow. . ." I rubbed my back and gingerly touched my throat where a sand rash was starting to form.

Gaara stood there awkwardly, trying to figure out what to do. "You shouldn't have done that, Kitou."

I winced and stood up by myself, completely embarrassed. "I'm sorry. . . You just looked defenseless, so I, uh, . . ." I'm such an idiot, how could I have forgotten about his sand? I turned around and waved goodbye before I could embarrass myself any further.

_A/N_

Yes, I made Gaara a bit more talkative in this chapter, but it works. . .right? I did it so I could create a sense of "bonding" almost, like that super special bond and trust Gaara has with Naruto. I just learned how to insert those horizontal lines, too! :D

I might be late with the next chapter again, I'm currently focusing on my other story Combustion as well.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated!


	14. Chapter 14: Payback

(Tonya POV)

I sneaked into the house without any problems; I unlocked the kitchen window from the outside and mentally noted to tell Yamato to increase the difficulty of the locks; I could probably pick this lock if I was seven. Placing each of my feet on the floor very carefully, I removed both of my shoes before tiptoeing around the corner. 'Hello there, darling.' Freezing, I immediately started to sweat bullets. Mei stepped out of the shadows and smiled warmly. 'Where were you? I searched for you, but I just couldn't find you.' She placed one of her palms on her cheek and held the other one up at her waist.

'No, Mei. . . Don't even think about it.' In her raised hand was a metal bat; her favorite weapon of choice. 'Let's just. . . Talk it out, okay?' Every time I took a step back, she took a step forward.

'Why?' She was twirling the bar in her hand, the same look of faux concern plastered on her face. 'Did you know what I had to go through when you left?' I shook my head slowly, 'HELL.'

I began to shake slightly; I don't like where this is going. 'I thought you were having fun talking with them? You guys looked like you were having fun, so I just. . . yeah.'

'Oh, no, I was.' I exhaled deeply in relief, 'Until you left.'

'WHAT?! That makes no sense!'

'It makes perfect sense.' She stopped twirling and looked down at the ground, speaking in a harsh whisper; this was like a bad yakuza movie. 'IT WAS NARUTO!'

'. . .What?'

'YOU HEARD ME!' She banged the bat on the ground, 'He couldn't stop interrupting us to ask where you were! Not only that, but he couldn't stop moving and getting up to search for you!' She clutched her fist and faked crying, pretending to be emotional. 'He ruined it!'

I shuffled back at least two meters the entire time she was ranting; I wanted out. 'Then shouldn't you go after the kid?'

'Oooohhhh no. No, no, no. You aren't tricking me. . .'

'I'm not tricking you, it's called a suggestion-'

'BAH! Shut the hell up!' She yelled at the ceiling, swinging her bat. '. . . I'll forgive you if you tell me where you went. . . It's your choice. Choose wisely.'

She's just like my mom. 'I was. . . uh. . . with-'

'You were with a guy?! Did you get pregnant?!'' She shouted and tapped her stomach, completely overreacting.

'No! I'm not even sure he counts as a guy! It was just Gaara, dude!'

She froze and gripped the bat so hard, I was afraid it would snap. 'HE STILL HAS A *beep*!' she furrowed her brows and looked around her, confused. 'What's with that beeping noise? I only said *beep*! What, we can say "fuck" and "bullshit" and other crap like that, but we can't say shit like "*beep*"?!'

'Mei, calm down. I guess we just can't say certain things here.' I crossed my arms and looked at the ceiling; this whole situation was weird. 'I'm going to have to get Unmei on this one. The beeping noise might be a glitch or a bug or something.'

'WE'RE NOT IN A COMPUTER, THOUGH! Man, this is bullshit. . .' She tapped her bat on the floor, '. . . GAARA *beep*S SAND FROM HIS *beep*! . . .SAND *beep*!'

'Sand *beep*?! How is that even possible?!'

'I dunno, I just wanted to say it. Hahaaaaa.'

'Mei. . . That is one of the most disturbing things I have ever heard. . . .' Inside, I was actually laughing my ass off; what the heck was she talking about?

Mei took advantage of my distraction; the next thing I knew, she was right in front of my face. She held the bat high above her head, ready to strike. She silently mouthed 'You are going to die' and then swung the bat down, hitting me perfectly in the middle of my head.

* * *

(3rd person)

Tonya, immediately knocked out, hits the floor almost immediately. Mei dropped her bat on the floor and kicked it away, observing her handiwork. '. . . I know.' She smiled and strokes her imaginary beard, a horrible plan forming in her mind.

Hoisting Tonya up over her shoulder, she waddles over to the kitchen window and jumps out of it. Creepily laughing, she then jumps onto the roof and throws Tonya onto the tile roof with an 'Oof'. Laughing, she jumps back down and runs to her room, making sure to lock her door before she settled down underneath her sheets.

* * *

The next morning, Mei woke up early (as usual) and stretched her arms, feeling happier than usual.

As soon as she started to dress, a knock was heard at the front door. Throwing the clothes she put on yesterday, she jogs to the door. "Hold on, hold on!" Pulling her hair into a high ponytail, she looks through the eyehole in the door before pulling the door excitedly. "Kakashi-sensei~!" She runs over and glomps Kakashi, who only sighs and pats her head in return.

"Hello, Mei."

She giggles and squeezes Kakashi tighter, completely ignoring the other person at the door. "Ahem." Yamato clears his throat and looks at Mei expectantly, "I'm here too, you know."

Mei sneered from her place on Kakashi, looking him up and down. "And?"

Defeated, he sighs and tries to walk away, but is stopped by Kakashi. "We still have to tell her, Yamato."

"Tell me wwhhhaaaatttt?" She looked up at Kakashi and batted her eyelashes.

Yamato exchanged a look with Kakashi before speaking up, "Tonya has to leave early."


End file.
